


Hand-Me-Down Ranma -- A Good Fit?

by Asayogure



Category: Ranma 1/2
Genre: Action, F/M, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-05
Updated: 2016-11-11
Packaged: 2018-05-06 21:17:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 60
Words: 371,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5431067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asayogure/pseuds/Asayogure
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Why does Nabiki do what she does? What if Nabiki realized the guy she is in love with, is engaged to her sister? What if Nabiki took a chance, bit her lip, and went for it? This is Nabiki's story, and it's everyone's story. There isn't a person on this Earth who hasn't looked at someone across a crowded room wistfully and wished they had the nerve to go for it. Can Nabiki succeed?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Ranma's new Fiancée

Nabiki barely had time to realize that Akane had just destroyed the balcony they were all standing on, before she felt herself falling. Before she had time to panic, though, she felt someone strong scoop her up and shield her with their body from the falling debris. As they softly landed, she looked up to see Ranma holding her.

Of course it was Ranma, who else would it have been, Akane? While she knew Akane was actually a very kind girl, when she was angry, she didn't act like her usual self. Ranma, on the other hand, seemed to always have an eye out for protecting those around him. Nabiki looked up at Ranma as he held her. He was very strong, she had to admit.

While she didn't really mind him holding her, she knew that Akane seeing him holding her would cause ... problems. She felt that she at least owed him an acknowledgment of his actions though. "Well, it looks like you saved my life, Ranma. Thanks."

Ranma looked down at her and smiled nervously. "Yeah, that was a close one..."

Nabiki knew Akane was standing there watching them. So after a moment had passed without him putting her down she tried to prod him again. "Maybe you shouldn't have, Ranma." She stared pointedly at Akane to try to drive her point home. Honestly, the boy could be so dense. When he still didn't put her down, she tried again, this time a little more bluntly. "I mean, saving me and letting your fiancée fall..."

Ranma clued in at that, and hastily set her down. "What was I supposed to do? You're a normal girl ... unlike Akane." He said as he glanced nervously over at her sister, who was staring at them with an outraged look on her face. He walked over to Akane as Nabiki smiled sardonically to herself, this wasn't going to end well for him.

As he talked to her sister, she tuned them out as she usually did, and was getting ready to head back inside and tell Daddy that the balcony was broken. She was also trying to decide how she felt about Ranma holding her and how it had made her feel. She decided that she had liked it. Ranma was only a year younger than her, and he was gorgeous. She really didn't mind him holding her, at all. 

Akane raised her voice and yelled something then that snapped Nabiki out of her revere. "That _does it_ , we're finished! Why don't you just go get engaged to Nabiki?!" Her scream was accompanied by the sound of a slap. What Akane said got Nabiki's attention. She had to admit, at least privately to herself, that she sometimes regretted hastily foisting Ranma on Akane.

When he had showed up after Daddy had announced out of nowhere that one of them had to marry him, her self preservation instincts had kicked in. At the time, she had done what she had felt she had to do to duck a possible major liability. Now, after she had been observing Ranma for months as he took care of Akane, she had to admit that having him devoting his attention to her wouldn't be ... all bad. He was kind to all the girls after him, actually. She had watched him do what he could to spare the feelings of the rest of the girls chasing him, while still trying to live his own life and become a world-class fighter.

Of course, she would have to make him work for it, she wasn't interested in being someone's toy girlfriend or trophy wife. Of course ... there was still the question of Akane. Nabiki looked over at the two of them, and sure enough, Ranma was now sporting a red hand print on his face as he twitched and stood in front of her sister. Oh Akane ... she really was a sweet girl, but Ranma really seemed to be able to push all of her buttons. They just didn't really seem to be a good match. Neither one of them seemed to be able to give the other what they needed.

Poor Akane. Mother's passing had really messed her up. In truth, it had messed them all up. Kasumi had done her best to step into the mother role, which was extremely awkward to watch as Daddy more or less treated her like the woman in charge of the house.

But Akane ... Akane had known Mom the least amount of time, and she had also clearly needed her the most. Even when Nabiki was a little girl, she had prided herself on being self sufficient. Akane tried to pretend she was as well, but it was clear to anyone who watched her, that she not only thrived on outside validation, but that she _needed_ it. It wasn't enough for her to do something and take pride in her own accomplishment. Like a child, she needed someone to pat her on the head and tell her she was a good girl and had done a good job.

Akane's emotional problems also could be traced back to the passing of their mother. Daddy's slow meltdown into how he acted now, hadn't helped either. Yes, Akane had been a tomboy even when Mom was alive, but not like she was now, and she hadn't had the out of control temper then, either. 

Nabiki knew that Akane thought she was in love with Ranma. But she also knew it was the fantasy love of a child. She was more in love with the idea of being in love than anything else. She was _not_ ready to be in a real relationship with _anyone_. Her selfishness when dealing with Ranma was readily apparent to anyone watching them.

Akane clearly thought that the role of the girl in a relationship with a boy was to allow the boy to shower them with praise and adoration, and that the boy should never admit that the girl had ever done anything he didn't agree with. Akane had no concept of the give and take of a healthy adult relationship between equals. Watching her with Ranma was like watching a little girl trying to play _house_ with some bewildered boy she had captured off the playground, and getting upset with him when he didn't follow the rules of her made-up game.

Ranma did his best to keep Akane happy when he wasn't deliberately doing things to spite her because she had pushed _his_ buttons. But, it was clear to everyone watching them that Ranma wasn't all that much more mature than Akane was and anyone dating him would have to help mature him a bit if they wanted the relationship to succeed.

Nabiki thought about it, and decided that she would be willing to do that, _if_ Ranma reciprocated. She looked over at Ranma and decided that he could be a worthy project. Still ... she supposed she had better let Akane have a chance to retain her claim on him. It was only fair. If Akane decided to be childish about it, and she would _not_ bet against that, then so be it; Nabiki _would_ accept the change in engagement and see if she and Ranma might be a better match. Even if they weren't, they might at least have some laughs for a while.

Her decision made, Nabiki put her hand on Ranma's shoulder and replied to her sister. "Akane? Are you sure?" She said as she stepped closer to Ranma. Ranma wasn't paying any attention to her, he was babbling something to Akane about her not meaning what she said. Nabiki cut across him. "If you say take him, that's it, he's mine." She grabbed his arm possessively as she said this and leaned into him. She could feel him tense up as her words registered, but she didn't take her eyes off Akane. Akane had turned back from the dramatic exit she had clearly been planning, and looked back stricken with shock at her.

Akane had the greater claim on him. So Nabiki decided she would back off and let her take him back if she took back what she had said, now. Akane had put in the most time with him after all, it was only fair. But she wanted her to know she was going to take her up on this if she didn't take him back.

"I'm not borrowing him. I'm keeping him. Understand?" She smiled as she grasped Ranma's arm tighter to drive home her point. "And you're not getting him back!" Ranma looked down at her with naked panic in his wide eyes. She knew he must be thinking she had either lost it, or was teasing. She smiled reassuringly at him before turning her attention back to Akane. She knew exactly what she was doing. She hoped Akane did as well.

Akane narrowed her eyes at Nabiki and stomped over towards her. She briefly wondered if Akane intended to hit her. Instead, Akane threw a ribbon on Ranma. "Take him, the creep's all yours!" Akane said angrily. Akane then spun on her heel and stomped off to continue her dramatic exit.

"Thanks!" Ranma called out angrily to Akane's back.

Nabiki had not let go of Ranma's arm yet. She was pressing herself up against him still. She realized that it was very forward for her to be doing what she was doing. Granted, she had done it mostly to pressure Akane to take back what she said, but now she was curious what Ranma would do about it. She looked sweetly up at him, and waited. Ranma looked between her and Akane's retreating back with rapid turns of his head, with growing panic on his face.

"Relax, Ranma. It's over. She'll calm down eventually, but even if she doesn't, it doesn't matter. You're mine now." She said with a sweet smile and her best seductive voice as she continued to press her body into him. He smelled like cedar wood and some sort of a flower. She'd never noticed that before. She could tell he was about to stroke out so she stopped torturing him and pushed off him lightly as smiled up at him. "I'm just teasing you, Ranma."

"S-so, you didn't mean it about ... about the engagement stuff?" He asked.

"Oh, no, I meant that." Nabiki replied, still in her sweet voice.

"Nabiki--" Ranma started what was sure to be a long conversation, so she cut him off, she didn't really want to get into it right now, especially not outside in the cold, especially since she herself wasn't sure how serious she was about him. She could feel a growing pit of warmth inside her, though. She had enjoyed being in his arms, and holding on to him just now.

"Ssh, don't worry about it, Ranma. Our fathers just want you to marry one of us. Akane gave you up, fair and square, and I have accepted the engagement. They'll be fine. Akane will sulk about it at first, but I think she'll get over it pretty fast, and she will eventually realize that she was never ready to be engaged to anyone. Eventually she will probably thank me for agreeing to take you." Nabiki said as she pressed a finger to his lips. Then, with a grin, she reached up on her tip-toes and kissed him on the cheek. She ran into the house then, and left him standing out in the garden, absolutely speechless.

She walked calmly into the entryway. She fully expected Akane to be waiting for her. She decided that if Akane asked her nicely, she would give the engagement back to her. If not, she would make her pay to get him back. If Akane didn't make a serious attempt to get him back, though, she really would keep him.

To her surprise, she did not find Akane waiting for her when she entered the house. Akane wasn't waiting for her on the stairs or in the hall outside their rooms, either. She opened the door to her room cautiously, but Akane wasn't in there waiting for her either. So, she shrugged and closed the door behind her. On a whim, she pulled her curtains back and looked out in the courtyard where she had left Ranma. He was still standing where she'd left him, in the exact same pose, like he was frozen.

_Oh well, he'll snap out of it eventually._ She thought happily to herself. She let the curtains fall closed again with a soft smile to herself. After she got undressed and changed into her pajamas, she sat at her desk and began writing out some plans.

If she was going to be engaged to Ranma anyway, she might as well have some fun with it. Akane had been having all of the fun with him so far. Even if Ranma didn't honor the engagement, tomorrow would be ... interesting. She hummed to herself cheerfully as she worked. She was looking forward to tomorrow.


	2. A Fun Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I have always wanted to explore what would have happened if when Nabiki was briefly engaged to Ranma in the "Hand-Me-Down Ranma" episode/chapter, if she had stayed engaged to him. I have always liked Nabiki, let's see what she can do with Ranma ;)

Nabiki dressed in a hurry the next day and ran out of the house after wolfing down a quick breakfast. Today was going to be a fun day. She smiled to herself, she had a lot to do. She hummed happily as she ran to school.

Ranma arrived alone at the gates of the school about a half hour later. Nabiki smiled to herself, he was right on time for his usual schedule. She was surprised that Akane wasn't with him, but she had to admit that she wasn't sad about it.

Ranma nodded politely to her as he entered the gates and headed towards the school building. He was playing it very cool. She smiled back at him in return and let him pass in silence. He twitched at that. Oh yes, today was going to fun. She always enjoyed taking people out of their center, especially powerful people. With Ranma inexperienced with the ladies, it would be easier than usual to do that, but it wouldn't be any less fun. She smiled to herself as she began to follow him. It would only be a matter of time now. She could already hear the commotion starting as students called out to themselves about the news.

"Hey did you hear?"

"What?! Ranma and Akane split?!"

"I hear he switched to Nabiki!"

"Wow... an older woman!"

She couldn't help herself, she knew she was grinning. Some of the students noticed her walking behind him, and ran up to ask her to confirm or deny the news. She happily handed them the flyers she had made last night, without speaking as she continued to follow Ranma.

Akane arrived at a full run at that point, but slowed when she saw Nabiki following Ranma. As she reached Nabiki's side, Nabiki teased her, "I wonder how they found out?" She said as she continued to hand out flyers to the students who approached her.

Akane wasn't in a joking mood, though. She replied in an annoyed tone, "gosh, could it be because..." she trailed off and just pointed at her as she continued to hand out flyers.

Nabiki simply smiled. To herself she thought, _any minute now..._

"Akane! Come! Leap into my arms!" Kuno yelled at the top of his lungs, with a rose clenched in his teeth, as he appeared from nowhere and lunged at her sister. It was uncanny how he was able to do that.

 _Here we go_. Nabiki thought smugly to herself as Ranma leaped into the air as Kuno lunged. Her eyes tried to follow him as he moved, but he was just too fast.

Akane danced back out of Kuno's range and yelped, "K-k-kuno?!"

Ranma landed on Kuno's head at that point and glared down at him as he said, "mornin', Kuno."

Kuno, to his credit, simply stood up and brushed Ranma off his head as he smoothly pulled the rose from between his teeth and handed it to Akane before he turned to grasp Ranma's hand with a friendly smile plastered on his face. "Good morning, future brother-in-law!"

Ranma recoiled at that, "hey, who're you callin'--?!"

Nabiki took the opportunity to remind Ranma of what had happened last night, she quickly stepped forward and looped her arm through his and said to Kuno, "oh, yeah...that's right..."

Kuno reached over and wrapped his arm around Akane's shoulders as he smiled in a way he probably thought was magnanimous and said, "yes! Brother and sister-in-laws! Akane will be mine!"

Akane was twitching in anger, Nabiki leaned back a bit to make sure she didn't get hit in the crossfire of what was coming. Akane smoothly slipped Kuno's arm from her shoulders, pivoted her hips and then kicked him so hard that he sailed away across the courtyard. Many of the guys in the school cheered and whistled as she did so. They not only liked watching Kuno take it in the teeth, but they also enjoyed seeing Akane in action.

As Akane calmed down, Nabiki leaned over and pulled Ranma behind her as she taunted quietly into Akane's ear, "Akane ... admit it. You want Ranma back, don't you? Act now and I'll give him back for five thousand Yen."

Ranma protested, "I'm not for sale!"

Akane growled and turned on her and again denied her claim on him, "I don't want him!" She then turned to walk away in a huff, but paused and said over her shoulder, "since you have decided to tell the whole school about this, just one word of warning, Nabiki ... if you're going to be engaged to Ranma ... you'd better do some training." She walked away quickly after that, hurrying to class.

Nabiki called after her, "huh? What do you mean?" But Akane didn't respond. Nabiki looked up at Ranma who shrugged.

Nabiki's mind was going a mile a minute. What had Akane meant by that? Was she just trying to confuse her? Was she threatening to fight her for Ranma? Ranma interrupted her train of thought, "um ... Nabiki?" He asked nervously.

She simply looked up at him, annoyed at the interruption.

"I-I need to get to class..." He said, looking down pointedly at his arm. She realized that she was still holding on to him. She smiled sweetly at him and released her grip on him. He took a couple of hesitant steps away from her, unsure of what to do, so she shooed him towards class.

"Well, go on, you'll be late." She added, to get him moving. He nodded sharply and pivoted on his heel and dashed off towards the school building running at incredible speed. Instead of entering through the main doors, though, he jumped up into a nearby tree, and then into the window of his third floor classroom. She had to admit, he was good. She hummed happily to herself as she walked into the school building while she pondered what Akane had meant about needing to train.

She was sure it was nothing but Akane trying to rattle her.


	3. The Dangers Of Being Engaged

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I have always wanted to explore what would have happened if when Nabiki was briefly engaged to Ranma in the "Hand-Me-Down Ranma" episode/chapter, if she had stayed engaged to him. I have always liked Nabiki, let's see what she can do with Ranma ;)

Nabiki was sitting in class and trying to pay attention. But she was already planning on what she should do with Ranma at lunch time. She didn't really want to go find a quiet place to eat lunch alone with him, and she also didn't want to bring him in to socialize with her friends. He wasn't ready for that yet.

The door to her classroom being yanked open snapped her out of her reverie. As she looked up at whoever was coming in extremely late, she saw a blur as an object streaked towards her face. Without thinking about it, she reached up and grabbed the object out of the air using instincts and muscle memory from the days when daddy had trained her in the art when she was little. She actually remembered a great deal of it, and she practiced it occasionally in the privacy of her room when she was home alone. One never knew when skills like that would come in handy.

Puzzled, and somewhat embarrassed that she had revealed that she was a bit more athletic than she let people believe she was, she looked down at what she had caught. It was ... an okonomiyaki? It had a message written on it in sauce. It said, "come to the back of the gymnasium --Ukyo."

She looked back at the door but only caught a glimpse of a retreating back of someone in a boy's school uniform. Had that been ... Ukyo? She looked back to the front of the room to find the teacher staring at her crossly. She shrugged and set the okonomiyaki to the side as she said, "lunch delivery. I guess they got a little ahead of schedule."

The teacher opened his mouth like he was going to argue the point with her, to which she simply raised an eyebrow. She knew he wouldn't be able to prove anything, and she knew he knew she knew. He stared at her for a moment more in irritation, then closed his mouth, and turned back to the board to continue his lesson like the interruption hadn't happened.

Nabiki smugly thought to herself, _another battle won before it even began_. As the lesson continued, she glanced down at her watch. There was only another few minutes until the lunch bell rang. She was sure Ukyo had meant for her to run off and answer the challenge immediately. She had no intention of doing so. She wasn't as wrapped up in the Bushido thing like daddy was. Honor had its uses, but she didn't let it rule her life.

When the bell rang, she calmly packed up her stuff and headed out. Her friends called out to her to follow them, but she waved them off. She did this a lot when she had business to take care of, so they were used to it. They smiled and nodded and said they'd save her a seat.

Nabiki thought about stopping by Ranma's class and having him go meet with Ukyo, but decided against it. Of all of Ranma's other suitors, she was the most like Nabiki, and she was the least violent. She could be reasoned with. She hoped.

  


***

  


She made her way behind the gym as the note had instructed, and sure enough, there was Ukyo, waiting there looking impatient, dressed in her boy's school uniform.

She stopped a good two meters away from Ukyo, and pushed one hip out and rested a hand on it in her best intimidation pose and asked, "what's with all the formality, Ucchan?" She knew using Ranma's nickname for her would pull her off her center.

Ukyo's left eyebrow started to twitch as she replied, "being ran-chan's fiancée myself ... I thought we should get re-acquainted." Ukyo looked a little lost as she drew her battle spatula. It was clear that she thought she needed to fight Nabiki for Ranma, but she didn't think it was the right thing to do.

_Ut-oh, does she want to fight me? That won't end well_. Nabiki thought to herself as she realized belatedly what Akane had meant about training. She tried to keep Ukyo off-center and called out in her best confident voice in a bluff, "what, you think you can take Ranma away by force? You underestimate me, Ucchan." _Oops, bluffed wrong._ Nabiki thought as Ukyo's expression changed from regret to anticipation. Nabiki started to back up. On her best day, she might be able to fight Akane to a draw. She wasn't going to be able to fight Ukyo with fists and win. She would destroy the girl in logic, planning or finance. But in a fist fight, Ukyo had the edge, especially if Ukyo was fighting for Ranma. She gathered up her pride and buried it down deep as she got ready to run.

It was too bad that Ranma's ability to come to the rescue only seemed to work when it was Akane in dang-- _sonofabitch, look at that --_ she thought with disbelief as she saw Ranma bounding over the rooftops heading straight towards her. She immediately changed her plan as Ukyo charged her and yelled as she raised her battle spatula, "oh? We'll see about that!"

Ranma crested over the last building and leaped in between them as he yelled, "don't fight!"

At the same time, Nabiki yelled, "I'll sell him to you for six thousand Yen!"

Ukyo surprised her by immediately dropping her battle spatula as she grasped her hands and yelled back gleefully, "sold!" It was amazing how many people were willing to drop all pretense of the honor code they claimed to live their lives by, if they could find an easy yet dishonorable way to get what they wanted.

Ranma looked at them crossly. Nabiki ignored him and said, "okay, he's your problem," as she crossed her arms. She was hoping Ranma would step in and say ... something. She knew he wasn't going to profess his undying love for her, or even for Akane, but she would be disappointed in him if he didn't fight to at least stay in the Tendo household and honor his promise. She looked at him expectantly as Ukyo yelled excited _yippee_ noises.

Ranma opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, several clubs used in martial arts rhythmic gymnastics came whistling in at Ukyo from a high angle behind her. Ukyo immediately recovered her composure from the celebration she had been doing and batted them away with her battle spatula.

A cloud of black rose petals showered the area as an insane laughter rained down all around them.

Nabiki rolled her eyes. It was amazing how many of these people liked to do these dramatic entrances. It wasn't like everyone in town didn't already know about Kodachi Kuno's trademarks already. She wasn't confounding anyone with her entrance.

From behind the cloud of black rose petals a shrill girl's voice lashed out, "the nerve of selling Ranma for a mere six thousand Yen!"

Ranma slumped in exasperation as he heard her voice. Nabiki didn't blame him. Kodachi was exhausting. Hell, it was exhausting just sitting through her little entrance. Kodachi then yelled as the rose petals cleared, "I'll pay sixty one hundred for him!"

Nabiki smiled. Now they were in an arena she could control. Ranma could stop it whenever he wanted. But until then, she would have fun with these goofy girls.

Before she could even say anything, Ukyo stepped in front of her and rounded on Kodachi in a combat stance. "And just who are you?!"

Nabiki put her hands on her hips as she ran her eyes over Kodachi. She was in her trademark leotard, and twirling one of those ribbons around like she always did. She couldn't help commenting, "wow, it's been a while..."

Ranma muttered quietly to himself like he was trying to ward off an evil spirit, "Kodachi the black rose!"

Ukyo yelled at Kodachi, "sixty _two_ hundred!"

Kodachi shot back, "sixty two _fifty_!"

Nabiki grinned as she pulled her bullhorn out of her bag and got into her auctioneer persona, "I have sixty two fifty. Sixty two fifty going once..."

Ukyo glared back at her before fixing her stare back on Kodachi and yelled, "sixty three hundred!"

Kodachi countered, "then I bid sixty three fifty!"

Already getting tired of it all, and hoping to prod Ranma into doing _something_ Nabiki turned to him while the girls were shouting escalating numbers at each other, "sounds like you're worth about a week's allowance..."

Ranma dragged his uneasy gaze from the fighting girls and fixed his stare on Nabiki as he twitched in annoyance and said, "Hey, you--!" Then he stopped and cocked his head to the side like he was listening to something only he could hear. A moment later he lunged for her as he yelled, "uh oh! **Duck**!" Before Nabiki could react to that though, he had grabbed her about the waist and yanked her off her feet like she weighed nothing as he pulled her hard to the other side of himself while a large metal ball on the end of a stick came crashing down into the ground where she had been standing.

_Whoa_ ... was all she could think of as she stared at where she had been standing as a cold shiver ran down her back. She refused to be rattled by these silly girls' violence, so she pulled her eyes up to Shampoo's cold and determined eyes and said as nonchalantly as she could manage, "hey there, Shampoo."

Shampoo smiled a grin of a predator as she advanced on Nabiki and said in her broken Japanese, "if Nabiki dead, then Ranma for free!"

Kodachi immediately jumped in with that plan and turned from shouting at Ukyo to also advancing menacingly on Nabiki, "and _that_ is a bargain!"

Ukyo tapped her fist into her palm as she realized they were right.

Nabiki wasn't worried while Ranma was there. She knew he wouldn't let them hurt her. So she played along and put on a panicked face. Privately, she wondered if they were on to her. She doubted it though, they seemed to be pretty surface-level girls.

Ranma didn't wait to let her see what would happen next, he grabbed Nabiki's hand and sprinted away from the three girls like a spooked deer. Nabiki was almost airborne behind him as she struggled to keep up with him as he ran.

The girls gave immediate chase, yelling their usual battle cry nonsense. Nabiki let real panic cross her face as all three of the girls launched weapons at them. Ukyo threw small, sharp spatulas at them. Kodachi launched her ribbon, and Shampoo threw one of her bonbori. As the missiles came closer she started to yell for Ranma to dodge, but all she got out was a worried, "R-Ran--" before he yanked her forward and completely off her feet to scoop her up in his arms and shield her with his body as he ran. The weapons rained down around them, some of them impacting off him, but he didn't even flinch. Nabiki buried her face in his chest in not-all-together mock fear.

As Kodachi chased them she yelled, "Ranma darling, if you value the life of this fiancée--"

Ukyo cut across her, "--you must choose me instead!"

Ranma didn't respond to them, he just continued to run, and occasionally let out little yelps of pain.

Nabiki couldn't help but admit that he was at least noble. Even though she knew that the girls weren't attacking with lethal force, and that he was way too tough for their attacks to do much if any damage to him. Still, she felt he could use a little encouragement, so she said as he carried her, "I'm so flattered you're suffering for **me**!"

Ranma rounded a corner and set her down for a moment and said crossly, "I'm suffering **because** of you!"

Nabiki winced at that. He had a point.

Shampoo jumped past Ranma to kick at Nabiki and yelled, "Nabiki, you die!"

Ranma grabbed Nabiki again, wrapped her in his arms and spun with her, pulling her out of danger again, but putting himself in the path of Shampoo's kick, which knocked him to his knees.

_Geez, they are getting a little out of control, aren't they?_ Nabiki thought in growing concern. She was starting to worry what would happen to her if they managed to knock Ranma out.

Shampoo looked briefly down at Ranma and regret briefly flashed across her face before she turned back to Nabiki with renewed determination set on her face again. Nabiki started to back away but before she had to take even a step, Ukyo's giant spatula came swinging in to her field of vision as she screamed, "how dare you kick my Ranma!" Instead of hitting Shampoo, though, she smashed into Ranma who had just stood back up and in Shampoo's path. Ranma went down, again.

Kodachi landed next and attacked Ukyo with her ribbon as the melee grew.

With the three of them engaged in combat against each other, Ranma leaped back to his feet and pulled Nabiki quickly around a corner and into some bushes as he ducked in next to her to hide.

The sounds of their fight carried to their hiding place easily, and Nabiki heard Kodachi and Ukyo continue yelling while Shampoo screamed enraged curses in her native Mandarin for another few moments before they all stopped when they realized Ranma was gone and Nabiki with him.

They all yelled parting shots at each other before they split up to look for Ranma. Nabiki looked up at him and said, "that was close."

Ranma looked back at her, bruised, with a couple of Ukyo's smaller spatulas still sticking out of his skin and said, "now **that** hurt."

Nabiki, despite the somewhat serious nature of the event, couldn't help but go for the joke. It was just who she was. She leaned in and asked sweetly as she clasped her hands together pleadingly, "will you protect me forever?"

Ranma frowned and said in an exasperated tone, "no!"

Before Ranma could say anything else, they both noticed that the bushes around them were moving. They looked down and realized they were partially on Akane, who was covered in bushes in an obvious attempt at camouflaging herself. Nabiki was amused that she had been spying on them. "Huh? What are you doing there, Akane?" She asked innocently.

Akane replied in an extremely embarrassed voice, "...nothing..."

Nabiki rolled her eyes at her as she stood up after listening to the girls' search moving further and further away from their position. She reached down and extended her hand to Ranma to help him up.

He looked up at her in confusion, but allowed her to help pull him up. Neither one of them acknowledged that he didn't need any help getting up from her. Nabiki looked him up and down, and brushed away the last of the weapons still embedded in him, and nodded her head as she came to a decision. "Come on, Saotome, I'll fix up your boo-boos." She grabbed his hand and started pulling him.

He followed her in confusion. Nabiki looked back at Akane and yelled, "can you tell your class and mine that we're going home early today? Thanks, Akane." She smiled as she turned back to guiding Ranma home.

Akane looked blankly after them as they left. She looked crestfallen.

  


***

  


A little while later, Ranma was sitting on the ground in Nabiki's room as she fished around in one of the many large and fully stocked first aid kits they kept around the household.

Ranma had gotten his gumption up to argue with her about the fun she had been having. "Will you cut it out already?! This is all because of your stupid gossip!"

Nabiki didn't miss a beat as she continued to rummage around in the box for a bandage in the size she wanted, "but, it's true, isn't it? You did switch fiancées, right?" She found the one she wanted and turned to face Ranma as she held it up. "You're in love with Akane, is that it? C'mon, if you're still in love with her, admit it." She held her breath, waiting for him to answer.

Ranma huffed and turned away so she couldn't look into his eyes and said angrily, "I don't _think_ so!" He then turned back to her and leaned in and pointed a finger at her and pleaded, "look, will you just make up with her... _please_?!"

_Okay. That hurt. A little bit_. He obviously had feelings for Akane. Well, fine then, she would fight for him. She rounded on him and turned on the tears as she glared at him, "Ranma ... don't you know ... my true feelings...?" He looked blankly at her but nervously. She pressed onward, "I thought I'd never tell you this, but..." she looked away dramatically, she wanted to really sell this, "...for a very long time now..." she turned back to him and clasped her hands pleadingly, as she thought, _here we go, let's see how he reacts to this_ , "I've been **in love with you, Ranma!** There, I've said it!"

Ranma's face went white. He pushed back away from her and kept going until he ran his back into her bed. He managed to stutter out, "y-you're kidding, ... right?"

Nabiki looked away from him and repeated herself, "I love you! Is that so wrong?"

Ranma choked back, "y-you're, you're kidding, r-r-right, Nabiki?"

She turned back to him with real and fake tears in her eyes and simply said, "no."


	4. Playing For Keeps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I have always wanted to explore what would have happened if when Nabiki was briefly engaged to Ranma in the "Hand-Me-Down Ranma" episode/chapter, if she had stayed engaged to him. I have always liked Nabiki, let's see what she can do with Ranma ;)

The next day, Nabiki woke up and sat on the edge of her bed and thought about last night. Ranma, in his typical demonstration of being unable to handle emotions or anything female that wasn't him, had stuttered his way out of her room after she told him she had loved him, without actually dealing with what she said, at all.

Had she been playing with him? _If I am being honest with myself, I would have to say that I_ ** _was_** _mostly playing with him_. It was just so much fun to tease him. She thought about that for a moment and decided she had some maturing to do as well. Oh well, she figured she could do so at the same time Ranma did, and still stay ahead of the curve.

Putting all of her jumbled thoughts aside she stood up and started to get dressed for the day. Before she had finished dressing, though, she stopped and thought for a moment, then set aside her shoes and overcoat and stood quietly in the center of her room for a moment. She then took a deep breath and ran through the basic footwork, balance, and striking katas she knew from when she was a little girl. She also practiced a few parrying hand drills she remembered. That finished, she finished dressing.

She normally didn't like to practice unless she was home alone, but since yesterday had proved that her own martial arts skills were suddenly in play now, she figured she had better at least keep sharp the skills she did have. Ranma wasn't omnipotent, he would eventually not be there when she might need him.

She smirked to herself as she thought about those silly girls attacking her yesterday. She had briefly considered just exacting a blunt revenge on them. She knew a lot of people in low and high places across the city. But she had decided to get back at them in her own way, in her own time. She had her own code that she followed, and that code included the teachings of Sun Tzu. She intended to win this war without ever actually fighting any of them. Turning an enemy's strengths against them was the mark of a master strategist, after all.

She knew Ranma and for that matter daddy and Mr. Saotome wouldn't approve of her way of taking care of enemies. They were more the front-line soldier types. She liked to think of herself as at least a good intelligence officer, if not a master strategist. She had already set various things into motion last night after Ranma had made his hasty exit from her room after she told him she loved him.

She shrugged and decided to go see how her fiancée was doing. She smiled and hummed happily to herself as she set out to find him. She grabbed a towel from the hall closet on her way out. Finding him didn't take long. The boy was fairly predictable. She found him working out in the courtyard where he usually worked out in the mornings. She hung back and watched him a bit from across the courtyard in the shadows. She had wanted to go talk to him immediately, but she had hung back when she saw Akane across the courtyard quietly slinking towards him. She decided to see how he handled her. This would be his first encounter with her since she told him she loved him last night.

She couldn't hear what Akane said to him, or Ranma's reply, but after Akane poked her head around the corner and looked at him for a bit and he noticed her, they seemed to fall into their old pattern of friendly bickering fairly quickly. Well, so much for her declaration of love changing him overnight. She hadn't really expected it to, of course.

With a smile on her face, she stepped out from the shadows, and hurried over to where Ranma was standing and said, "ah, there you are, Ranma, did you miss me?"

Ranma immediately stopped moving as he heard her approaching. His face had a look of ... was that guilt? Akane was watching her cooly, but didn't move to interfere or say anything, so Nabiki ignored her and pressed the towel she had brought with her against his face and neck while smiling sweetly at him as she said, "here. Let me wipe your sweaty brow."

Akane's neutral stare changed to an angry scowl as Ranma stuttered out in a panic, "uh ... thuh... thank ... y-you ... v-v-very muhh..."

Nabiki fixed her own cool stare on Akane and said, "hey! do you mind?"

Akane opened her mouth like she was going to challenge her, then closed it again with enough force that Nabiki could hear her teeth click together. Akane spun on her heel and stormed off with a growl but not a word spoken.

Nabiki stared after her for a moment, and decided to catch up with her later in the day and try again to give her the opportunity to take Ranma back. The fool girl would have to put aside her childish pride to do that, though. But she figured she owed her at least a few chances to change her mind. The window was fast closing, though. She wasn't going to keep herself neutral for too much longer. She had her own feelings to take care of as well. The entire world didn't revolve around her emotionally damaged little sister.

Nabiki looked up at Ranma who was still twitching uncomfortably. Nabiki realized she still had the towel pressed up against his neck, and she was still pressing her body against him to be able to reach.

My but wasn't he awkward around the ladies. One would think that with his familiarity with his own sometimes-female body, that he wouldn't be so shy.

Or, was it just that he was only shy with her? She pondered that as she stepped back and asked, "ready to go to school?"

He nodded mutely. She looked down at her watch and asked, "leave in five minutes?" He nodded again. _Lordy_ , she was going to have to work on his communication skills. She smiled patiently up at him and headed off to the table to grab some food that Kasumi undoubtedly had prepared. Say what one would about Kasumi, but she took good care of her family.

Ranma joined her at the table, and instead of sitting in his usual place looked at her sideways in a way she assumed he thought was sneaky, and then casually sat next to her.

Interesting. Very interesting. She wondered what he was trying to say by sitting next to her. For all she knew, he was just trying to placate her and hoping that if he gave her the bare minimum amount of attention, that would be enough to keep her in the background for now.

She smiled inwardly as she watched him eat out of the corner of her eye. She had no intention of staying in the background. She wasn't the Kasumi-type. She saw Akane dash out the front gates a minute later, and checked her watch.

A moment later they were dashing off to school together. She had timed it so they were just enough behind Akane that unless she stopped and waited, she wouldn't see them. She hadn't gone to school with Ranma since the first day he had arrived and she had gone with him part-way with Akane after telling Akane it was her duty as his fiancée to get him to school.

She smiled sadly at the memory. She kind of missed those days. Kuno's insane challenge to the school's boys that they had to defeat Akane in combat before they could date with her, had been extremely entertaining. She had also made a considerable amount of money betting on Akane every day. She had kept it fresh by changing the bets to things like how many boys she could knock down with a single strike, how many would lose teeth, etcetera.

She looked up at Ranma, who was running on top of the fence that protected the water canals that ran through town like it was no big deal and wondered what he was thinking about. He noticed her looking up at him, but other than meeting her eyes for a moment, he didn't say anything.

They arrived at the gates of the school soon after that, and stopped short. Nabiki couldn't help herself, she grinned openly.

Arrayed before Akane, who had stopped short of the gate herself, was more or less every guy in the school who was single. For that matter, Nabiki saw a couple of guys in the crowd whom she knew were dating people. She made a mental note to make use of that information later, then she turned her attention back to Akane. She was shaking with obvious anger at having to deal with the weird attentions of the boys of their school again.

Ranma stood passively next to Nabiki and just watched. She knew that he knew by now that Akane could handle the guys in the school trying to _defeat_ her in combat so they could date with her. She scanned his face and couldn't find any traces of concern or even all that much interest in the scene before him. She wondered if that was just anger at Akane, or if he really was starting to care less about her personal life?

Nabiki didn't have any more time to wonder about it, though, as the dumb guys chose that moment to launch their attack en masse like they always used to do. It was over almost as fast as it had begun. Akane made short work of dropping them, as she always had, and walked angrily into the school without looking back.

Nabiki whistled as she surveyed the carnage. It was a good thing she hadn't made bets today. Most of the guys were sporting some serious injuries. A few of them were out cold. Her little sister was obviously more upset than she was letting on. She really did need to talk with her. She looked over at Ranma and smiled. He wasn't watching Akane leave, he was looking down at her expectantly. Nabiki commented as they started walking again, "leave it to my sister, soon as the obstacle's removed... she's miss popularity!"

Ranma asked in a confused voice, "huh. What _do_ they all see in her?"

_What indeed?_ Nabiki thought to herself as she walked into the school with Ranma and looped her arm through his. He twitched a little at the public display, but didn't say anything, and didn't remove her arm. She smiled up at him, and he looked down and returned her smile with a nervous one of his own.

She couldn't blame him. The school grounds were a pretty dangerous place for him, especially when his romantic life was involved. They parted ways on the stairs as they headed to their separate classes. But, as Ranma walked away, he turned back and called after her. "Nabiki?"

She stopped and looked curiously over her shoulder. He had skipped all of the prior moments he had alone with her so far today to speak with her. She was sure it was no coincidence he was choosing to do so now, right when classes were about to start. She raised an eyebrow and waited. Several people passed them as she waited, many of them calling out greetings to her and Ranma. They both ignored them. Ranma pressed his fingers together awkwardly as he obviously worked hard to summon the courage to tell her whatever it was he wanted to tell her.

The bell rang, and neither of them moved. Finally, in a small voice, he asked, "N-nabiki?"

She nodded but didn't speak.

He gulped and pressed onward, "N-nabiki ... would you meet me for lunch under that big tree over by the softball fields?"

Nabiki actually blinked at that in surprise. Was he ... was he asking her out on a date? So soon? She had been sure that it would take weeks if not months of coaching on her part to get him to that point, and that would have been after she managed to get Akane to calm down, and get the rest of his crazy suitors to back off. This was surprising, to say the least. Still, she felt like she should reward his courage. She walked over to him, and grabbed his hand with both of hers and squeezed it gently as she said, "of course, Ranma. I'll see you then, all right?"

He nodded solemnly, like they had just made a very serious promise, and quickly turned and bolted for his classroom. As she walked towards her own class, she mused that in his mind, it probably was a solemn promise. With Genma as his father filling his head with all of the crazy honor stuff he and daddy liked to squawk about, it was no wonder he was so hesitant to agree to do or say anything, let alone to make a promise. The fallout from the few promises he had made, and which had been made on his behalf, had already changed the course and destiny of his life in ways he probably still didn't even understand.

  


***

  


Nabiki made her way to the meeting place Ranma had asked her to come to faster than her pride really wanted her to. She forced herself to slow down and walk at a more leisurely pace as she got within eyesight of the tree. She could see Ranma's trademark red Chinese shirt standing under it from where she was. It wouldn't do to make him think that she was eager to see him. She wasn't was she? No, she was just curious about what he wanted to talk about. _Sure, and if you believe that, I have a beach in Hokkaido to sell you._ She thought to herself sarcastically.

As she reached the meeting place and came within easy speaking distance of Ranma, she stopped and clasped her hands behind her back. She liked to think of that as one of her cuter poses. Ranma hadn't turned to look at her, so she asked, "what is it, Ranma? What's so urgent?"

Ranma continued to look away from her, but started bridging his hands together nervously. He finally spoke up and said, "well... about ... you know..."

Oh, of course, he wanted to talk about last night. That made much more sense than him asking her out on a date. Well, she might as well double-down on what she had said last night. If she didn't present at least a semi-consistent message to him, she would confuse him like Akane had. So, she smiled and asked sweetly, "about me telling you that I loved you?"

Ranma turned to look at her and returned her smile in a hopeful way and asked, "um ... you _were_ only kidding ... right?"

Well, damn. This was more like how she had been expecting him to behave, but it was still a little disappointing to hear it. The sad face she put on after he said that wasn't much of an act. She looked away from him and asked a question she actually had been wondering about since the day he showed up, "... you don't like older women?"

Ranma made a choking sound in reply. She buried her face in her hands without turning around and wailed, "then it's true, I'm too old!"

She watched him carefully through the gaps in her fingers for his reaction. He gasped at her display and started waving his hands in a panic as he tried to calm her down. "N-n-no ... I ... no! I don't care ... about age ... I ..."

Well, that was good news. He was a terrible actor, and that had been a genuine reaction, so at least she now knew that he really didn't have a problem with her being slightly older than him. She rushed over to him and dropped her hands from her face to clasp them under her chin as she asked, "really?!"

He leaned back from her advance but held his ground as he said, "y-yeah, I don't care how old you are, really. But I--"

"--Oh, Ranma! I knew it, thank you! I'm so happy!" She cut him off happily as she grinned at him. Was she acting? To be honest, even she didn't know for sure. Ranma, overwhelmed, staggered away from her for a few steps and crouched down quietly in the shade of the tree.

Unfortunately, at the same time some of her regular customers spotted her and called out to her from across the field. She swung her gaze over to them in a panic, then back to Ranma, but he hadn't moved. He seemed very lost in thought. Well ... while he was day dreaming, she supposed it wouldn't hurt to continue to get rid of some of the extra photos she had of his girl-side.

The whole photo thing had started as a way to bribe and control Kuno. And, honestly, selling him pictures of Akane breaking bricks and sweating in her uniforms seemed entirely innocent to her. When Ranma had come along and brought his cursed female body with him, Nabiki had found out rather quickly that he had no sense of the usual female urge to cover up, especially from the waist up. She had resisted for a long time, but as the weeks and months had dragged by and he had made absolutely no effort to cover up, despite numerous lectures from Akane and others, she had finally given in and started taking pictures whenever he was on one of his nudist streaks.

Since he didn't consider his girl-form part of himself, but instead just a cursed illusion that he just had to put up with, she really didn't feel like it was that big a deal. He walked around nude to semi-nude at home all the time as a girl, and even in public he went shirtless quite often, and with absolutely no effort to cover up.

As Nabiki's feelings had grown for him over time, though, she had stopped taking new pictures of him when he was a girl. But, still, she had made so many prints of the duplicates of the ones she had taken ... at the very least she wanted to sell enough to break even on the cost of printing out the duplicates. She took another look over at Ranma, but he was still lost in thought. So, she waved the guys over and held a finger up to her lips. As they gathered and formed a line, she took out the ever-dwindling envelope she had in her bag of the prints she had left and said with her business-smile on, "three thousand Yen for a set of five." They each paid up quickly and were on their way again clutching their new photos in moments. Interestingly, she knew at least two of them knew full well that the red-headed girl they were buying pictures of, was really Ranma. And she caught both of them sneaking glances at him as they retreated. Interesting. _Very_ interesting. But also not important right now.

As she was putting the envelope away, she heard Ranma getting to his feet behind her. That wasn't good. She hurriedly stuffed the envelope in to the top of her bag and turned to face him with her best innocent face plastered on.

As he walked over to her his eyes darted to the backs of the retreating guys, then narrowed as he looked at the ground behind her. Before she could react he darted over and picked up a couple of the pictures that must have fallen out. They showed his girl form in various states of undress. He looked up at her with a mixture of betrayal and happiness on his face. The source of the betrayal was obvious, the happiness was probably just because he was back on what he considered to be solid ground. He stood up and waved the pictures at her and asked, "hey, what were you just ... what are these?"

_Busted._ Was all she could think of as she looked at him with regret. She then dropped to her knees and tried her best to deflect him, while trying to pull him off his center, of course. "Well ... a girl does love to gaze ... upon the man she truly loves ... even when he doesn't happen to be a man!"

Ranma wasn't having it, he leaned towards her and growled, "tell me you're not _selling_ these?!"

Thinking fast, she reeled back and brought her hands up under her chin as she tried to stay calm. She could recover from this. If Ranma forgave Akane for whacking him with that mallet of hers, and for constantly splashing him with cold water to get back at him, then he could forgive this. "I was only selling the duplicates!"

Ranma narrowed his eyes at her like he wanted to argue the point further when Ukyo's voice interrupted them. "She'd sell _love itself_ , if she could..." Nabiki couldn't see her, so she must be in the tree. There was no way she could have gotten there unseen while she had been there, which meant either Ranma had told Ukyo about the meeting, or she had followed him to the meeting and slipped into the tree while he was waiting for her to arrive. Nabiki hoped it was the later instead of the former.

Ukyo interrupted her musings as she jumped out of the tree and yelled, "Nabiki Tendo, take this!" As she said that she threw something at her. Nabiki braced herself to dodge. She didn't want to risk trying to grab it out of the air again--

Before she had to do anything, though, Ranma stepped in front of her and snapped, "Ukyo, no!" As he snatched whatever Ukyo had thrown out of the air. "I won't let you hurt--"

Nabiki swore her heart skipped a beat as he said that. Even after all her teasing, and the lines she had crossed, he still wanted to protect her. He really was very kind. She watched him as he looked at what Ukyo had thrown.

"--what is this?" He asked Ukyo, holding up one of her throwing spatulas with a Yen note tied around it.

_Oh boy, this is going to cost me_. Nabiki cringed as he rounded on her. Ukyo piled on, "that's the rental fee for you, Ranma."

"Fee?" He repeated numbly.

Ranma turned to stare at Nabiki in disbelief as Ukyo looked on smugly. Nabiki shrugged and figured she would explain this one to him later. "Yes, fee. One thousand Yen an hour."

"B-but ... why?" He asked.

"To keep the peace, silly." Nabiki said cheerfully. She knew she was going to have to explain this better tonight, but Ranma's shouts had already summoned several sports teams their way, she could hear them charging up now. Oh well, Ranma was a big boy. He could walk away from this whenever he wanted. In the meantime, to keep the peace, she was indeed going to rent him out by the hour. She wasn't nearly as jealous as Akane was. Besides, the best any of his would-be suitors would get out of an hour alone with him would be awkward silence. As for the sports teams...

"Did you say you're renting out Ranma?!"

"We want him for our competitions!"

They shouted over each other as they ran over to rent Ranma's skills. With Ranma on any sports team, they couldn't lose. He was like Furinkan High School's reluctant secret weapon.

Nabiki waved them over and smiled as she said in her best carnival voice, "Step right up!"

Ranma started to protest, but Ukyo dragged him away, "uh-uh! You're _mine_ for the next hour!" Bless her.

Nabiki then rounded on the assembled guys and picked the various fighting teams that she knew Ranma would do well with, and rented him to the Aikido club, the Judo club, the Karate club, and the Kung-Fu club for their competitions. She turned down the Kendo club's request regretfully. While she was sure it would have been extremely amusing to have Ranma under the authority of Kuno in any capacity, she also knew that Ranma had breaking points, and Kuno was one of them. For that matter, Ranma could very likely break Kuno as well, if he was pushed too far.

To the clubs she had agreed to help with Ranma's skills, she gave each of them a paid receipt to show Ranma, and sent them on their way. She knew he would honor the agreements both because he would feel honor-bound to do so, and also because he loved to fight and prove himself to be the strongest fighter around. She figured it was win-win and he would forget all about being annoyed with her afterwards.

As she watched the gleeful sports teams follow Ukyo as she dragged Ranma away for her idea of a date, _probably to go slave over an okonomiyaki stove for an hour and play married chef couple,_ Nabiki thought with no small measure of satisfaction. The fool girl wasn't making Ranma want to spend _more_ time with her with her antics, that was for sure.

She reached down and gathered her bag up to her shoulder as she did a quick survey of the ground to make sure nothing else had fallen out of it. She then watched Ranma get led away for awhile, and stared wistfully after him. Still, she wasn't jealous that he was with Ukyo. She _was_ kind of dreading what he was going to say to her when he got home, though.

She decided that she would go out of her way to be nice to him when he got home. She owed him that, at least.


	5. Confessions

When school was over, Nabiki followed Akane home. Or, at least she thought Akane would head home. She hadn't bothered waiting for Ranma, because she knew he would be busy with the teams she had rented him to.

She figured she may as well try to make peace with Akane. She didn't want Ranma to come between them after all. As she followed behind her little sister, she realized that she was deliberately avoiding going home as she wandered into one of the shopping districts near the school.

_She probably doesn't want to be around Ranma while he is engaged to me_. She mused thoughtfully as she watched Akane window shopping from across the street. Her little sister's steps were getting shorter, and whenever Nabiki could catch a glimpse of her sister's face, she could tell that she was on the verge of tears.

Well, fine, she may as well get it over with. As Akane leaned against the wall of one of the shops she had been looking in, Nabiki walked up behind her and announced her presence, "Akane?"

Akane stiffened is surprise and immediately stood up straight as she turned around to face her and replied, "Nabiki?"

Poor Akane. Just looking at her face it was clear she was miserable. But, it wasn't like this whole situation hadn't been caused by her, so Nabiki's sympathy for her was limited, at best. She tried to lighten the mood as she asked, "what's with the end-of-the-world face?" She tilted her head and waited for an answer from her overly serious sister.

Akane looked back at her with her unspoken answer on her lips, but she was still too proud or childish to say she wanted Ranma back.

Fine, she would give her another chance to take him back. She smiled and said, "oh-ho! You actually want him back, don't you?" She held up two fingers and leaned closer to her, "for two thousand Yen, he's all yours."

There. She'd said it. As she had promised herself the night Akane switched the engagement, she wasn't just going to _give_ him back. She had her own pride after all, and Akane needed to learn her lesson. Ranma was a person, not a toy to fight over. Akane couldn't just throw his engagement around to any of the Tendo sisters whenever the mood struck her. She would have to pay the price for her casual dismissal of her engagement to Ranma.

And, if Nabiki was being honest with herself, she also wanted Akane to pay the price for involving her in this as well. She was sure Akane was unaware of how she really felt about Ranma, but that wasn't the point.

Akane looked at her sadly, but didn't respond. Nabiki was getting tired of her stubbornness. If she was this bad with her, she could only imagine how she was with Ranma. After waiting a few more moments for Akane to respond, she pressed her, "well? Do you want him back, or not? If you don't want him back, fine, but don't come crying to me later." She ended up saying that a lot more forcefully than she had meant to. Inwardly, she wondered if it was just sibling rivalry, her distaste for Akane's attitude, or if she really did want to keep Ranma? She'd probably never know, because Akane was sure to break down soon and take him back. She watched her expectantly. When Akane didn't say anything after a few moments more, Nabiki rolled her eyes and started to walk away.

Finally, Akane called out after her with a shaky voice as she looked down at the ground, "b-but I'm... I'm not like you, Nabiki."

Nabiki listened to her but didn't say anything. She wondered how her self-righteous sister thought she wasn't like her.

Akane continued as she balled her hands into fists and tears of frustration sprang into her eyes, "I can't ... I can't _say it_! So why should I even care?!"

_Oh, ... Akane ..._ Nabiki thought as she walked over and silently put her arm around her dopey sister. As she pulled her to start walking with her, and Akane cried quietly into her shoulder, she said kindly, "let's talk."

She walked them down a few doors to a nearby snack shop and pulled her sniffling sister in the door after her. The shopkeeper greeted them warmly and when he saw it was two young ladies, one of whom was crying, he quietly pointed to a nice sunny table by the window to the one who wasn't crying. Nabiki nodded her understanding and steered Akane towards the indicated table.

She sat her down at the table, and pulled a chair up next to her and let her little sister lean on her for a while and just let it out. A minute later Akane was pulling herself upright and wiping her eyes on the backs of her hands. Nabiki made eye contact with the owner, and held up two fingers. He nodded and hurried over with two menus as Akane finished getting herself sorted out, and Nabiki reseated herself across the table from her.

Once they had both ordered, Nabiki sat back in her chair and watched her sister curiously. She wondered if she would be able to speak honestly about Ranma after that outburst.

After the owner brought their food and drinks, Nabiki paid him and then waited a bit while Akane ate. Once she slowed down, Nabiki asked her the most pressing question she had on her mind, "when you said you weren't like me, because you couldn't 'say it' -- what did you mean?"

Akane looked down at the table, and blushed as she responded, "you told him you loved him, I heard you."

Nabiki raised an eyebrow at that. Akane continued, "your room is right next to mine, you know. And you weren't exactly whispering when you said it. You were practically yelling."

Well, she had to give her sister that one. When she was in her dramatic mode, she tended to get a little ... overly theatrical. "All right, so what if I did tell him that? I'm telling you now, I am willing to sell him back to you and end this whole thing, right here and now." She said. Akane didn't say anything, she just looked at her sadly.

Nabiki sighed and put on her business face complete with a fake smile and forced herself to laugh as she decided to make it a little easier on Akane, "come on Akane, snap out of it, I was just joking when I said I loved Ranma."

Akane scowled at her across the table, then let her scowl fall back to the sad frown she had been wearing since Nabiki had walked up to her. She looked back up at Nabiki and sighed as she said, "you don't have to lie to me, Nabiki. I know you can be cold ... heartless ... and manipulative..."

Nabiki kept her fake smile on her face, but she let it slip a little bit as Akane called her names. She would deal with that stuff later. She wasn't all that amused that Akane was calling her cold and heartless after she had let her cry on her, and paid for her meal.

Akane continued, interrupting her train of thought, "but even _you_ can't say something like that and not _mean_ it!"

Nabiki felt like she had just been stabbed straight though her core with a icicle. It was one of those rare moments she had from time to time when the clarity of a moment was surreal, like glass was shattering all around oneself as realization broke through. With a determined bite on her lower lip she suppressed everything and continued to try to give Akane the chance to take him back.

Akane was still talking, she tuned back in as Akane finished up her little rant by saying, "...don't kid around when it comes to Ranma!"

Nabiki eyed her sister over the rim of the glass she was drinking from, and seriously considered getting up from the table and walking away. She had made it clear when Akane switched the engagement that she intended to keep him. She had now offered him back to her twice. She only had so much patience for this. She cared about her sister and didn't want her to suffer, but she didn't have it in her to give Akane too many more chances. She figured she would try a couple more times now and lower the price as she did so. Maybe if Akane thought she was wearing her down, she would pay the price, everyone could keep their honor, and she could wash her hands of all of ... this, whatever this was. If Akane didn't take him back today, she honestly didn't know how many more chances she would give her.

Nabiki leaned closer to Akane, and asked softly, "what if ... I cut my price and let you have him for fifteen hundred Yen?"

"You don't have to put on an act for me..." Akane replied quietly.

"Okay, final offer, nine hundred Yen." Nabiki responded a bit louder as she leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. She had gone as far as she was willing to go.

"I said, it's okay. You're in love with Ranma. You're the one who's not being honest about your feelings." Akane whispered.

"Listen ... Akane ... " Nabiki started to say.

But Akane cut her off, "it doesn't matter any more."

"Oh ... is that so?" She wondered what Ranma would think of that? Regardless, she was done with this for now. She stood up smoothly and tossed a couple hundred Yen on the table for the nice owner, grabbed her bag, and headed for the door.

Akane watched her go, but didn't say anything else. Nabiki looked back at her and thought to herself, _OK, have it your way, then, but you are going to be sorry_.

She looked at her watch on her way out and realized with a shock that she needed to get home soon. Ranma should be finishing up with the sports teams in less than an hour, and she wanted to be ready to greet him when he got home.

She set off at a fast walk for home, and as she thought of seeing Ranma again, she hummed to herself cheerfully as she made her way home.


	6. Anger and Regret

Nabiki watched for Ranma's return from the upstairs window that had the best view of the street approaching their front gate. She had been home for about half an hour now, and she was ready to welcome him home.

She had heard Akane come home a little while ago. Akane hadn't made any effort to seek Nabiki out, and she was fine with that.

She found herself worrying about how mad Ranma was going to be with her when he got home. She was sure he didn't understand it, but she figured the best way to keep the peace right now was for her to not fight for him. Until she had things settled with Akane one way or another, she wasn't willing to take a public stand over Ranma. And even if she ever managed to get Akane settled, something had to be done about the rest of the little ducklings chasing after him. Well, maybe not little ducklings, more like homicidal hyperactive ferrets. But, more to the point, Ukyo's challenge and the subsequent melee it had caused were still fresh in her memory, especially Shampoo's attack on her.

Shampoo frankly freaked her out. In some ways Nabiki related to her fairly strongly. On one hand, the beautiful Amazon girl was ruthless and played by her own rules, and she didn't care whom she had to step on to get what she wanted. On the other hand, Nabiki always stopped short of using actual violence. She had no real tolerance for it, and she had always felt that there wasn't really a situation that couldn't be dealt with using logic, good information, and an iron will. She had a feeling Shampoo was going to test that belief of hers if she stayed engaged to Ranma long enough.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she finally spied Ranma making his way down the street towards the house.

Was he ... was he limping? _Oh ... oh no ..._ she thought in alarm as he walked closer and she could make out details. He _was_ limping, and using a stick to help him walk.

_Oh no, oh no, oh no._ She thought in a panic as she dashed from the window and raced downstairs. This was all her fault. She hadn't _meant_ for him to get hurt! She hadn't even thought it was _possible_ for any of them to hurt him! She seriously doubted the country chef had hurt him, so it must have been the martial arts clubs. How had they managed to hurt him? She had never seen him lose a fight, and he regularly wiped the floor with Kuno, and Kuno was the best fighter in the school ... well, he had been before Ranma showed up, anyway.

Nabiki waited in the entryway for him and danced back and forth nervously. She was chewing on her lower lip and trying desperately to figure out a way to fix the situation. She could hear him approaching the door, she was out of time. What could she do? He had to be just ... _furious_ with her.

She heard the door start to slide open and did the only thing she could think of ... distract him. She threw herself into his arms just as he finished opening the door and called out for her angrily, "Hey! Nabiki-- _oof_ " 

She called out happily to him as she interrupted his angry yell for her, "oh, darling, I'm so happy you're home!" She then buried her face in his neck, and hung on to him with everything she had while her mind was still desperately trying to figure out what to do. She hadn't expected him to get hurt.

With Ranma twitching in place, frozen where she had leaped into his arms, she sighed and decided to just run with the distraction. It seemed to be working well enough.

She knew she wouldn't be able to keep doing this and continue to get away with it forever. Even her considerable feminine wiles would lose their effectiveness on him over time. Still, maybe if she was very nice to him tonight, he might forgive her? He had forgiven Akane after every time she hit him, hadn't he? She shrugged inwardly and figured it was worth a try.

She called out happily to him as she hung on him, "you must be tired. Why don't you take a nice long hot bath while I fix you something to eat, OK?"

Ranma tried to lean back away from her with a panicked gasp, but she held on tightly, and continued to pile on, "want to take a bath? I'll wash your back."

Ranma was blushing now, she could feel the heat of it in his neck. He managed to stutter out, "wh-wh-what are you t-t-t-t--" he froze at that point, and Nabiki could tell something was wrong when he again gasped and tried to pull away from her. She lifted her head up to see what had spooked him.

Across the entryway was Akane. She was just standing there, watching them, but she had an angry other-worldly stare fixed on her face. Nabiki was sure if she was trained in the art like Ranma was, she would probably be able to see a battle aura pouring out of her. Well ... tough for her. Nabiki wasn't interested in offering him back to her right now. She needed to make up with him before she did anything else. Still, she couldn't help but be satisfied with how easy it was to trap Akane. The girl had no control over her emotions.

Ranma struck as defiant a pose as he could with Nabiki still hanging off him and yelled to Akane defensively, "hey, what's your problem? Would you quit staring?"

Akane seemed to deflate at that, Nabiki watched her out of the corner of her eye as she seemed to lose her entire fighting spirit. Ranma, being who he was, continued to fight the fight he had already won, "if you want a fight, it's a fight you'll--"

Akane stomped out of the room before he could finish. He watched her go with wide eyes and made a confused sound as she left.

Well, at least he wasn't running after her. That was a start. Ranma looked down at her and cleared his throat. She looked up at him sheepishly and whispered, "are you all right?" He nodded his head hesitantly.

"I-I didn't mean for you to get hurt. I'm sorry. Do you forgive me?" She asked in probably the most sincere voice she had used in this house since before mom had died.

Ranma looked down at her, and the angry creases in his face disappeared as he nodded mutely. She smiled up at him as she pulled herself off of him and said, "good. Want to go get some dinner?" She held her hand out for him, and smiled happily when he took it. She led him to the dining room where Kasumi was already laying out dinner.

Mr. Saotome and daddy were already in the room, sitting around the table watching Kasumi expectantly as she laid out the food. They were such gluttons. Nabiki wondered idly when or if Kasumi would ever get tired of playing housewife.

She sat in her usual place, and Ranma sat down next to her. She released his hand and smiled at him again. He started to return the smile, then Akane entered the room. His face froze then turned into a mask of innocence. She recognized it as a mask she herself wore frequently.

Nabiki watched Akane's eyes and saw her note where Ranma was sitting. But Akane didn't say anything. Akane just sat down at her usual spot and picked up the rice bowl Kasumi had set out for her, and began eating slowly while staring straight ahead at nothing. So ... Akane had decided to ignore them. Well, that was fine with her.

She still wanted to be nice to Ranma, and unlike Akane she had no problem doing so around other people. She really didn't care what anyone thought about what she did in her personal life. 

She held up some food from her plate to him and said, "here you go, Ranma. Say Ahh."

Ranma looked sideways at Akane, and winced at what she was doing and leaned away from Nabiki's attempt to feed him.

Nabiki looked over at Akane then back to him and asked, "what's the matter? We're engaged, right?"

Ranma looked back at her and nodded, then waved his hands in a warding gesture and protested, "b-but I can feed myself!"

"Come on," Nabiki said as she got him to eat a little, "one bite for your little Nabiki?"

He swallowed the food then clamped his teeth closed and looked at her sternly. Okay, she had to admit, she was pushing it. She shrugged and stopped trying to feed him, and for the rest of the meal everyone ate in silence. She watched daddy and Kasumi as she ate, and noted that daddy seemed fine with everything. Kasumi, however, looked disapproving and kept trying to lock eye contact with her. She would have to deal with her at some point.

When she had finished eating she sat quietly and waited for Ranma to finish. Akane stopped staring at nothing, and started staring at her. Nabiki smiled at her. Akane scowled but didn't say anything.

Ranma finally finished, and stood up. Nabiki got up to follow him. Before she could leave the room though, Akane, deliberately stepped quickly across her path and knocked into her with her shoulder. Not enough to hurt her, just enough to push her off balance. Akane looked back at her and said sweetly, "oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there," before she stomped out of the room.

Nabiki was no longer content with ignoring her. Now she wanted to teach her a lesson. She followed Akane upstairs and waited until she had gone into her room before she also went into her own room. She knew just what would get Akane riled up, too.

She waited inside her room for about a minute without doing anything, then she went to her door, opened it and closed it, then said loudly, "hello, Ranma. Come on in!... Oh! Ranma, stop! ... We mustn't, not before the wedding!" As she yelled out her bait for Akane, she walked calmly over to her bed and sat down. When she had yelled the last syllable, she counted down in her head ... _three ... two ... on--_.

Her door crashed open before she even finished thinking _one_. Akane stood there in the door frame, having kicked the door in. Her shoulders were heaving as she breathed heavily in anger and looked around the room wildly as she yelled, "Ranma!!!"

Nabiki just looked at her. This, this was the nonsense she was sick of. The overreactions. The anger. The violence. The childish temper tantrums and overly territorial behavior. It was exhausting just being in the same house with it.

Akane locked eyes with her and harrumphed as she realized she'd been trapped. _All too easily too_. Nabiki thought to herself smugly.

At first when she had decided to do this to her, to teach her a lesson, she had thought about offering to sincerely sell him back to her again. But, just seeing her kick in her door made her not want to do that. So she decided to taunt her instead.

She turned her head and did her best overly dramatic pose as she said, "well, well, if it isn't Ms. jealous looking for her former fiancée." She turned back to face Akane, and found her sister glaring at her. Good, maybe if everyone stopped giving her what she wanted when she did this, she would stop doing it. In the most sarcastic voice she had, she asked her, "now quit being so stubborn and buy him back from me!"

Akane twitched when she heard her tone, but didn't back down. She stomped over to Nabiki and leaned in so she was less than half a meter away and said, "listen very closely, I'm not going to buy him back from you!"

Nabiki just looked at her expectantly. Finally, Akane asked, "are you trying to tell me ... you really don't care about Ranma?"

Nabiki smirked, "of course I care," she paused and looked away, then back to Akane, still doing her theater-major routine and held up five fingers as she said, "five thousand Yen worth!"

Akane twitched again and stood up to leave. She yelled over her shoulder as she stomped out of the room, "I'm _not_ paying you _anything_!"

Okay, she had to admit. That had been fun, and Akane had had that coming. She smiled happily to herself as she got up to close her door. Just as she was swinging it closed, someone put their hand on the other side of it and stopped it. Then they knocked gently. She pulled back the door curiously and found Ranma standing there looking both worried and unamused. He said in a very quiet voice, "can I come in?"

She nodded and stepped back away from the door. As soon as he was in the room he closed the door behind himself and brought his eyes up to hers. He looked ... troubled. Before she could say anything, he held up a hand for her to listen and said quietly, "we need to talk."


	7. Feelings

Nabiki looked at Ranma as a cold dread settled inside her. _This can't be good_. She thought to herself as she walked slowly over to her bed and sat down and tried to collect her thoughts.

Ranma stood in the center of the room and waited for her to get settled. His face was cloudy, like he had warring emotions pulling him in different directions. When Nabiki had settled, he spoke in a hesitant voice that was shaking a bit, but she could tell had some anger behind it. "What are you playin' at?" He asked her quietly.

She looked at him blankly. She honestly didn't know how to reply to that. As she tried to figure out what to say, he continued, "I heard you, just now, ya know? What are you doing? Are you just playin' around? Is this all just a game to you?"

Nabiki's heart climbed into her throat and she honestly felt like she might faint or throw up. Ranma stood there looking at her with those piercing blue eyes, and waited for her to respond. She was sure that to him, this was like a battle now, since he no longer thought that she was being sincere. If that was the case, he would stand his ground and fight, so deflecting him wouldn't work. Was she ready to open up to him more? Did she really _want_ to keep him, or _was_ she just punishing Akane for foisting him on her? She was in fairly uncharted waters right now. It wasn't often that anyone had her at a loss for words, especially someone younger than she was. She fumbled for an answer and said, "w-what you heard, just now ... I was just ... teasing Akane..." she began awkwardly.

He raised his eyebrow but didn't interrupt her, so she continued, "...as I am sure you could tell at dinner, Akane seems to think I have done something terrible to her. Maybe I have, maybe I haven't, but regardless I was responding to her actions when I teased her."

He frowned at that, "what actions?"

Good, he was willing to listen. That was a good sign, she continued in a stronger voice, "as we were getting up from the table to leave the room, Akane bumped into me on purpose. I think she was trying to goad me into a fight."

Ranma shook his head when she said that. "But, that's not what happened." He said calmly as he looked at the ground.

Now Nabiki was confused. She was one hundred percent sure that Akane had bumped into her. Ranma elaborated in a quiet voice, "she tripped. She was watching me leave, and she wasn't paying attention to what you were doing. I saw her from the opposite angle you saw her from. She caught her toe on the mat and she lost her balance. When she stepped to regain her balance, that put her right on a path to you. She apologized to you, didn't she?"

Nabiki just stared at him in shock. She ran the moment back in her memory and realized that yes, Akane had dipped a bit before she ran into her. Had she just tripped? Or was Ranma covering for her?

Ranma looked back up at her then and asked, "but even if she had run into you on purpose, ... why would you say what you said? Why are you offering to sell me back to her?" He asked quietly.

Nabiki was afraid. She hadn't been truly afraid in a long time. Even when those crazy girls had been swinging weapons at her, she hadn't been truly afraid. She had known Ranma wouldn't let them hurt her. But ... now ... but now ... _Ranma_ was the source of her fear. She wasn't afraid he'd hurt her, of course. She was afraid of what he would say next. She forced herself to look up into his eyes, then she quickly looked back down at her hands as she grasped them together nervously in a constantly changing grip. He was standing there, waiting for her to respond. What she saw most in his eyes, was hurt and disappointment. Maybe Akane was a better match for him after all. Maybe their form of a relationship with its childish bickering was more healthy for him than what she could offer. Maybe ... maybe she wasn't as grown up and mature as she had thought she was.

In a voice that broke with emotion, she tried to explain, "I ... I ... you're right, I did say that. And the truth is ... the truth is ... " She took a deep breath and forced herself to look up again at him, "the truth is I don't know how I feel about you, Ranma. I think ... I think maybe I do have feelings for you. But, maybe this is just a fun game for me..." she trailed off as she ran out of things to say, then she thought of one more. She blushed crimson as she asked, "how do you feel about me?"

Ranma blinked at that and sat down slowly on the floor. He looked at the ground and said quietly, "I don't know. I do like you ... sometimes more than others ... depending on what you're doing."

Her heart was pounding as she waited for him to continue and she stared at her hands. She had to admit, what he said was fair. She couldn't trust herself to look at him. When he didn't continue, she asked, "well, what do _you_ want, Ranma? Who do you want to be engaged to?"

She couldn't see the expression on his face, because she was too afraid to look at him, but he was silent for a long time before he answered her question with a question, "were you lying to me when you said you loved me?"

Nabiki actually gasped softly at that. She was having a hard time breathing. The room seemed to be too hot, and she started to see black at the edge of her vision. She took a deep shuddering breath and closed her eyes as she tried to regain her center. Ranma hadn't just pulled her off it, he had slammed her into the proverbial cold mud at the base of it. She didn't know what to do or say. She couldn't think of a clever quip to give voice to; she couldn't think of a joke to use to lighten the mood; she couldn't even seem to slow her heart rate down. What was _wrong_ with her? A few days ago, Ranma would never have been able to affect her like he was now. She forced herself to look up at him as she took another deep breath and let it out slowly as her eyes settled on him. He was still just sitting on the floor, trailing his finger in the carpet nervously. He was blushing, but not that much. She couldn't tell if it was just because of the situation he found himself in, or if he cared what her answer was.

She couldn't think of another way to handle the situation, as her mind which usually never failed her was coming up with blanks. So, she decided to just tell him the truth. "The truth is, Ranma... t-the truth is, yes, I was lying when I told you I lov--"

"--all right, then I guess we're done here." He interrupted her in a hurt voice as he stood up to leave.

She panicked and called out much more loudly than she meant to, "w-wait!"  He paused as he was in the act of standing up and looked at her with wide eyes. Neither of them wanted Akane to get involved in this conversation. Nabiki blushed and lowered her voice and said, "p-please ... just hear me out .... _please_?"

He sighed but nodded his head and sat back down. He wasn't glaring at her, but he wasn't blushing anymore, either. He sat cross-legged and was waggling his legs up and down in a clear message that he wanted to get going, he also started flicking his fingers together impatiently. At least he was polite enough to hear her out though, she respected that. She didn't know why, but his sudden lack of nervousness hurt her more than she would have expected. She continued as best she could on a shaky voice, "... I-I didn't mean I lied in the sense that I don't have feelings for you. I meant I lied in the sense that I don't think I know what love is. When I said what I said, yes, I have to admit that some of it came from a desire to just play with you. But, the intention of what I said wasn't to hurt you..."

Ranma's impatient body language slowed and then stopped as she spoke, and she noticed with great happiness that his blush was starting to return as well. Nabiki continued as best she could, she knew she wasn't going to get another chance like this, "... I...I am not head-over-heels in love with you, that's the truth. In fact, I don't know if I could ever be the kind of person who is just silly-in-love like that. But I _do_ have feelings for you. I don't know if they are real feelings or if it is just something else, but I do know that you are kind and you have done a lot for this family. You've saved my dopey sister more times than I can count. You are the only one in this house brave enough to stand up to Happosai and to keep him in line. And... and, you've saved me too, twice just recently."

He was looking at her with panic growing on his face. She could tell that he was uncomfortable talking about real things like this. Well ... tough, he had started this, so she was going to say her peace. "None of that means that we should be engaged to be married for real, if you don't want to be." She added quickly as she saw worry growing on his face, "but I will be happy to tell our parents that we are engaged for as long as you want, and give you some breathing room."

He didn't say anything to that, he just looked off into space thoughtfully. She didn't have much more to say so she finished with, "but if you would rather switch back to Akane, I ... I understand. Why don't you think about it tonight, and tomorrow we can talk about it again, maybe at lunch?"

He looked very relieved when she said that, and met her eyes again as he nodded and said, "all right, Nabiki. I'll think about it. While I am in training the whole engagement thing doesn't matter all that much to me, but you're the first person I can ever think of who ever asked me what _I_ wanted about all this." He stood up to leave and looked down at her with those cold blue eyes and said, "thank you for being honest with me."

She nodded hesitantly and walked with him towards the door, as he opened it and peeked out to make sure the coast was clear, she couldn't help but feel like he was walking out of more than just her room, and a lump started to climb in her throat. He looked back at her and smiled as he started to leave the room.

She couldn't help herself, she reached out and grabbed his arm. He froze but didn't look back, so she pulled on his arm and moved to him and hugged him from behind, burying her face into his back. After a moment, he turned in her arms and let her hug him properly. He didn't hug her in return, though. He let his arms drape down on either side of her, but he didn't wrap her in them like she wanted him to. She didn't know what to make of that, but she knew she couldn't hold on to him in her doorway all night. Eventually someone would see them together and get the wrong idea. So, she took a deep shuddering breath and loosened her grip on him and let her arms slide down to grasp on to his hands.

He stepped back away from her almost immediately. He made eye contact with her, but she couldn't read his expression. With a small smile he took another step back from her which caused her to lose her grip with her left hand. As he stepped back slowly again, her right hand slid down his hand until she was only brushing his fingertips, and then a moment later she was holding only air.

He smiled back at her with one of his winning smiles he used when he was trying to be nice to people, but if anything that just made her feel worse. She watched him head down the hall and go into the room he shared with his father. He didn't look back again as he entered the room.

She slowly stepped backwards into her own room and closed the door. She braced herself against it with her head on the door and her hands framing her head. Slowly, she turned and put her back to the door as she slid down it to sit on the floor as the tears came. She had fought hard against them while Ranma could see her, but now that she was alone again, the dam was breaking, and she couldn't make them stop.

She slowly slumped all the way to lay on the ground and hugged herself and sobbed quietly on the floor as she thought, _what have I done?_


	8. Inflection Point

Nabiki was miserable. She had gone to sleep miserable, and she'd woken up miserable. She didn't want to get up. She didn't want to go to school, she didn't want to be alive. Okay, she didn't mean that last one, but still, she didn't feel like facing the world today. She huddled under her blankets in her warm bed and thought about last night.

She'd blown it, she knew she had. She had to let him go, it was the only thing left to do. Besides, if she had cried herself to sleep last night over him... poor Akane must be going out of her mind.

If he had any strong feelings for her, he would have said something last night. She hadn't told him _everything_ last night, but she had told him enough. He hadn't rejected her, but he hadn't pursued her, either.

As she lay there feeling sorry for herself she heard a soft knock on her door. She thought of pretending to be asleep still, but knew that would just encourage more attention. So, with regret, she shattered the morning's silence and asked, "yes?"

"Can I come in?"

It was Kasumi's voice. Nabiki did a quick check and found that she was still wearing the clothes she had on last night. She rubbed under her eyes and found them to feel a bit tender and puffy. Lovely, there was no way Kasumi would miss all that. Well, there was nothing for it, if she told Kasumi to go away, that would just get her more of her attention. Better to just deal with her now. "Okay," was all she said in reply.

Kasumi opened the door to her room and stood in the door frame smiling her usual smile. Nabiki was convinced it was an act. Kasumi hadn't been like that before mom died, and _nobody_ was that happy and placid all the time. Her older sister asked her softly, "I was just wondering how you were doing."

Nabiki just looked at her. She knew. She always knew. Kasumi closed the door behind her and went and sat on the edge of her bed. Nabiki didn't move. She honestly didn't feel like dealing with anyone right now, even Kasumi. Her older sister reached down and started to stroke her hair, like mom had done when they were little. The urge to cry rose up in her, but she summoned her iron will, and crushed that urge under it. She was done crying, at least for now.

After a while longer, Kasumi rose gently from her bed and walked softly to her door. As she left, she called out over her shoulder, "whenever you're ready, if you want to talk, come find me."

Nabiki nodded at her, and Kasumi smiled and then left with the soft close of her door. With that done, she rose from her bed and looked at the clock. She had overslept a bit. No wonder Kasumi had come looking for her. She honestly didn't care all that much. If she was late for school, then she was late for school. The way she was feeling today anyone crossing her path had better tread carefu--

A knock sounded at her door again. With growing irritation she called out, "what?!"

The door opened, and there was Ranma. He smiled at her and asked, "hey, Nabiki, how are you doing?"

She quickly put on her professional mask and replied, "I'm fine, Ranma, how are you?" She noticed at that point that he was dripping wet. The fact that he was male at the moment must mean he had recently been splashed and then had hastily changed back with some hot water.

A dark cloud crossed his face and she could see raw anger in his eyes as he looked off at nothing and replied, "I... I've been better." He said crossly before he evened out his tone and looked back at her and asked, "so, see you at breakfast?"

"S-sure." Was all she could think of to say.

"Great, see you down there." He said, again with a touch of anger in his voice. He closed the door again as he said it, and was gone.

_I wonder what that was all about?_ She thought to herself as she stripped off her clothes from last night. She paused when she was done and considered trying to squeeze in a bath before breakfast, but another look at the clock convinced her that she didn't have the time. The gym showers at school would have to do later in the day.

She hurried and got dressed in her school uniform, and rushed downstairs. She didn't feel quite as bad anymore, but she refused to let her moods be controlled by anyone other than her. She was determined to keep control of herself on that front today, no matter what might happen.

As she entered the dining room, Ranma jumped up from the table and indicated the spot next to him as he smiled at her and said, "good morning, Nabiki, have a seat."

Akane was in the room too. She watched Ranma with cool detachment on her face, but Nabiki's trained eye was able to pick out the subtle winces and slight facial ticks that showed that Akane was both unhappy, and felt like she was guilty of something. She was hiding it well behind a mask of indifference, though. She ignored both of them and just continued to eat her breakfast at a steady pace, looking straight ahead, just as she had done last night.

"You look beautiful today, Nabiki." Ranma said as he smiled widely at her. She looked sideways at him, and frowned.

It was extremely unlike him to say something like that to anyone, especially with witnesses around. Her eyes darted between Ranma and Akane, and she realized he was putting on a show to either taunt Akane, or punish her for something. Well, she supposed turnabout was fair play. She wouldn't join in, but she could accept the compliment gracefully. "Thank you, Ranma, you look nice too."

Akane twitched a bit when she complimented him in return, but she didn't say anything. Nabiki settled in and ate quickly. She knew she was running up against the clock. As soon as she set her bowl down, Ranma leaped up to his feet, grabbed his bag and her bag and said, "get up, fiancée. Time to go to school."

She looked up at him confused and said, "huh?"

He smiled and reached down and offered her his hand. So, she shrugged and took it. He lifted her up like she weighed nothing and started to pull her towards the door. She looked back at Akane who was still eating and asked, " ... but, Akane ...." 

Ranma continued to charge forward in his steady walk that was almost a jog and called back over his shoulder, "leave her."

Nabiki frowned as she let him pull her along. It was clear that he was using her to get back at Akane, for ... something. Who knew what it was, it could be anything from a careless word that she had dunked him for, to her rejecting him as a fiancée again. Whatever it was, Nabiki didn't like being in the middle of it.

She looked at him sadly as he pulled her along, and decided what she would say when they spoke today during lunch.

They reached the school grounds without incident. Interestingly, Ranma continued to hold her hand as they walked onto the grounds. She didn't really want to be seen being led around by him, though, so she pulled on his arm and forced him to walk side by side with her evenly.

She slowed her pace to a leisurely walk and decided to just enjoy walking in the courtyard with him while holding hands. He wasn't in a chatty mood, but that was fine because neither was she. They were a dozen or so steps away from the front door when Akane ran past them at full speed. She didn't say anything to them as she ran by. Ranma didn't do anything to note her passing, except to hold Nabiki's hand tighter. She sighed and walked with him to his classroom.

When they arrived, Akane was already seated at her desk, looking anywhere but the door.

Ranma's classmates noticed him approaching and called out to him as they saw him with her.

"Good morning, Ranma."

"So what happened?

"How come you're with Nabiki?"

Nabiki watched Akane as they greeted Ranma, and saw her twitching angrily as her classmates piled on with questions about her.

Ranma put his hand behind his head in embarrassment and said, "well..."

One of Akane's friends called out in disbelief, interrupting him, "does Akane know?"

Ranma looked down, still embarrassed, and could only mutter, "uuuh ..."

Nabiki smiled at that, despite herself. She knew he was using her to get back at Akane, but, that was exactly what she had done, at least a little bit, with him as well, so she didn't see the harm in it. However, she did have to get to her own classroom. So, she smiled up at him as she squeezed his arm and said, "oh, you're _so cute_!" As she let go of his arm and dashed off she called back over her shoulder, "I'll see you after class!"

  


***

  


She sat through her morning classes in a daze. All she could think about was what she was going to say when she saw him at lunch. And, if she was being honest with herself, she was also worried about what he was going to say to her. When the bell chimed for lunch, she hopped out of her desk and hurried out of her classroom, ignoring her friends calling out for her and asking about her plans.

She hurried back to Ranma's classroom and found him sitting in his desk, looking back sullenly at Akane as she studiously ignored him. Fine then, if he was still fighting with Akane, she could give him some ammunition. She called out to him in a cheerful voice, "oh, fiancée Ranma!"

He looked over at her and perked up at the sight of her as he leaped over to the door to stand in front of her. When he did things like that, she was reminded of just how unusual he was. It was kind of funny that he could perform super-human feats like leaping across rooms like it was no big deal, but he couldn't handle simple things like relationships and dating.

Feh, who was she to talk, she obviously couldn't handle them either. Maybe those things _were_ harder than training in the Art to leap across rooms.

Ranma looked at her expectantly and asked loudly, "what is it, fiancée Nabiki?" He looked back sullenly at Akane to drive home whatever point he was trying to make with her. With that out of the way, Nabiki walked backwards out of the room and waved for him to follow her.

She walked up the stairs with him to the roof in silence. Now that they were away from Akane, both of them had dropped their acts. At least they were now back in an arena that she was familiar with. She could dance the dance he was trying to lead them through.

Once they reached the roof and the door had shut behind them, she walked quietly over to the railing and leaned over it. He followed her a few steps but stopped short of joining her at the railing. She let the silence between them build for a while, then when she heard what she had been waiting for, the sound of the door opening and closing again quietly, she said to him calmly, "Ranma, what do you think about us breaking up?"

The wind blew across the roof as she waited for him to answer. She knew Akane was on the roof somewhere, spying on them. When she hadn't been able to stay away the day Ukyo called her out, she knew Akane wouldn't be able to stay away if she called him out to meet with her right in front of her. She wanted to see how Akane would react to what she was about to do. And, she felt that it was the right thing to do for Ranma as well. It didn't matter how she felt.

Ranma finally answered her, "b-breakup? B-but why, Nabiki?"

"Ranma ... please..." she answered him in her theater-voice. "I know you really want to make up with Akane... and that I'm not the one you want." She spun around to look at him, and found him staring at her with disbelief.

Bringing Akane into it had the desired affect, though. He protested strongly, "feh, please!"

She looked sadly at him, and said, "you don't have to pretend with me. I'm setting you free, Ranma..." She smiled sadly to herself at what she was about to say. It should give him the push he needed to go back to Akane, and it should give Akane what she wanted. It was easier for everyone to just believe that she was an ice queen. She held out her hand to him and said, still in her theater voice, "... and for only ... five thousand Yen!"

He looked at her with wide eyes in utter surprise, then his eyes narrowed and he turned his head a fraction of a degree to either side, like he was searching for someone.

_Ut-uh, I think he may be on to me_. She thought. She wasn't really worried. If this didn't prompt him to go back to Akane, she could give him a harder push later. It was the best thing for ... almost everyone.

Ranma looked at her and said, "five ... " then stopped and walked to the railing himself. As he leaned over it he said, "forget it, Nabiki. I'm not breaking up with you."

She stared at his back for a moment, stunned by that. She certainly hadn't expect him to say _that_. She wondered how far he was willing to go to prove his point. She started walking towards him with a sly smile on her face and said, "if ... if you really mean that ... _kiss_ me." She arrived next to him at the railing and leaned in towards him seductively.

He started twitching almost immediately, and stuttered, "huh ... but...why?" he said in a panic as he leaned away from her. So much for his game face. 

She looked down and blushed a bit herself. She wasn't sure how far she wanted to push this, especially with Akane back there spying on them. She was trying to push him back to Akane after all, not drive a wedge between them. But, maybe Akane seeing him refuse her advances would be a good thing as well. So she pushed a little bit harder, "you say you want to be engaged to me... so prove that you mean it."

That was it, Ranma had reached his limit. He was twitching so bad she was worried he really would stroke out if she pushed him any further, so she retreated a bit and turned away from him and said sadly in her theater voice, "you can't, can you?!"

She turned back to face him and found him standing very still, and very pale. Well, that was it for him then. She'd have to sell it to Akane now, and hope for the best. She collapsed to the ground and buried her face in her hands and did her fake sob that usually worked so well when she was trying to control people and said, "so then you _don't_ love me after all! You've been toying with my feelings all along!"

Ranma tried to stutter something, but she was on a roll and cut across him, "you're only using me... to get back at Akane!" She then let loose with the most powerful set of fake sobs she could summon. After she let it sink in for a few moments, she stood up dramatically and said, "if that's how it is... then _forget_ what I offered you earlier! I'm not going to play your little game any more" She trailed off as she turned to where he had been standing, only to find it empty. He'd run for it. She couldn't say she blamed him.

For Akane's benefit she snapped her fingers and said something about a missed opportunity. She honestly had no idea what she actually said. She walked back to the railing and looked out over the city and then up at the sky. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, and the birds were singing. And she was miserable. She heard the door to the roof quietly open and close behind her, and she smiled sadly to herself.

_Don't worry, Akane, you'll have him back soon enough_. She thought dejectedly to herself. As she continued to look out at the sky, the bell chimed ending lunch, but she didn't move. She just didn't care at the moment. As the clouds moved over the sky and started to cover the sun a bit, she let a tear escape and roll down her cheek. So much for controlling her moods today as she had set out to do. She had never been more miserable.


	9. The Cost

[Mood enhancer tip: listen to Yui's _Again_ , and/or Miwa's _ChAngE_ while you read this one ^_-]

  


The rest of the day passed in a blur for Nabiki. She walked back to her class after she managed to pull herself together enough to be around other people. She just sat in her desk for the rest of the day, looking at nothing, and saying nothing. Her friends could all tell that something was really wrong with her, and were wise enough to give her the space she needed. Kuno did try to get her attention once, but the baleful glare she skewered him with got through to even him.

When the bell chimed signaling the end of the day, she simply stood up and walked slowly to the door. She hadn't needed to pack up her bag, because she hadn't ever unpacked it. She made her way down the stairs slowly, like she was walking through a fog. She didn't bother waiting for Ranma, she knew he wouldn't want to walk home with her today. Her steps came slower and felt heavier as she walked and thought about how badly she had messed everything up. So much for her being older and more mature. She didn't deserve Ranma. She didn't deserve _anyone_ ... she ... she would just be the ice queen that people liked to call her. _Nobody is going to love me anyway_ , she thought morosely as she walked out of the school into the main courtyard.

She thought she heard someone behind her call her name ... they sounded panicked, but she didn't care. She thought bitterly to herself, _it doesn't matte_ \--

She was ripped back off her feet before she could finish her thought as someone yanked her backwards hard while something crashed to the ground in front of her. She landed roughly on her backside and looked back in a daze to see Akane breathing heavily behind her and looking furious, her eyes were blank with rage. But her little sister wasn't looking at her, she had her eyes fixed forward. As Nabiki's mind tried to process what had just happened, Akane disentangled herself from her and stepped out in front of her and spread her arms wide protectively as she screamed something so loud it hurt her ears. Everything ... seemed to be coming from ... so ... far away. Sounds were muting and her vision was blackening around the edges.

As she slumped to the ground she saw Ranma leap over her and land next to Akane as he also spread his arms wide protectively and yelled something too. _Oh, good, Ranma's here ... it'll be ... okay ..._ she thought to herself as she passed out.

  


***

  


She woke up later that evening in her own bed in her darkened room. Kasumi was sitting on the bed next to her, and stroking her hair again. Nabiki was completely disoriented and started to thrash around for a moment when she remembered that someone had attacked her.

"It's okay, you're all right." Kasumi said softly in her soothing voice as she lay a cool palm on her forehead that smelled faintly like sweet ginger and gently pressed her back to lay flat on the bed.

"W-whuh happen'?" She rasped out as her eyes came into focus and she was able to read the clock on her night stand. It was several hours after school had let out.

"You fainted." Kasumi said simply.

"T-that's ... ridiculous." Nabiki said as she summoned her strength and sat up and met Kasumi's eyes.

Kasumi just shrugged and said, "that's what Ranma says doctor Tofu said had happened."

"Doctor ... Tofu?" She asked as her head started to hurt and she winced and rubbed it.

"Yes. Akane carried you to him after the fight."

"A-Akane?" Nabiki asked in disbelief.

"Oh, yes, she was quite worried about you. Ranma said that she cried the whole way there carrying you, and wouldn't let him do it."

"She ... she did?" Nabiki asked in wonder. _After all that I've done to her?_ She thought to herself.

"Yes." Kasumi said kindly. Before she could add anything else, there was a knock at the door. Kasumi looked at her, she shrugged, so Kasumi called out, "come on in."

The door opened slowly and Ranma poked his head in. He smiled when he saw that Nabiki was awake. "Oh, hey, Nabiki. Good to see you up again."

"Hello, Ranma." She said dryly. Honestly, they were acting like she had been yanked back from death's door. It was a bit much.

"How are you feeling?" He asked as he stepped all the way into her room. Kasumi looked down at her and smiled kindly as she stood up and walked quietly out the door while Ranma moved to sit on the bed next to her. Kasumi closed the door as she left. He smelled good. _Why does he have to smell good too?_ She thought bitterly as she scooted a little bit away from him, trying to keep him physically distant as well as emotionally distant. He smiled down at her as he looked deeply into her eyes and leaned over and put the back of his palm on her forehead. His hards were warm. He asked softly as he sat back and pulled his hand away, "are you sure you're okay? Doctor Tofu said that you'd fainted because you hadn't eaten enough today, and that you were showin' signs of too much stress or somethin' like that..."

She smiled bitterly to herself as she thought, _overly stressed, that was one way of putting it_. She took careful stock of herself and decided she had a few aches and pains, and a splitting headache, but overall she felt fine ... physically. Emotionally ... emotionally she _wasn't_ all right, but that wasn't Ranma's problem. Not that it mattered anyway, all that mattered to her right now was trying to fix the mess she'd made. She met his eyes and said in as relaxed a tone as she could, "I think I'm fine. What happened?"

"Oh," he said as he straightened up and tapped his fist in his palm as he realized she hadn't seen what had happened. "It was Kodachi. She's still mad about ... you know ... you bein' engaged to me and all." He said quietly.

"Kodachi ...?" She asked, confused. She would have expected Shampoo.

"Yeah. She was up to her usual nonsense. She swung one of those giant mallets at you. Akane managed to get to you in time and pull you back. Doctor Tofu couldn't find any injuries from it on you." He smiled as he remembered the battle.

"A-Akane... right, I remember her yanking me back. I think I remember her yelling something too before that..." She trailed off as she looked up at him while toying with the idea of suing the Kuno family into oblivion.

He nodded, "yeah, Akane could see her waiting for you in the tree you were about to walk under. She yelled to warn you, but I guess you didn't hear her." He said kindly.

"She did?"

"Yeah, and holy crap, let me tell you, I've seen Akane mad before ... okay, I've made Akane mad before ... but yeah, anyway, it was amazing. She was livid. I've _never_ seen her fight like that. She countered Kodachi's first attack and then she was inside her guard and on her like a sunburn. Kodachi couldn't get another attack in, and Akane broke through her defenses almost immediately. She didn't stop until Kodachi ran off. And when I say _ran_ , I mean limped, and when I say she stopped, I mean I had to hold her back to keep her from chasing after her. Then she picked you up and ran with you to doctor Tofu's office faster than I have ever seen her move before."

Nabiki just looked at him, speechless as the urge to cry hit her like a train crashing into her room. Akane had done that? She crushed the urge with sheer willpower and tried to keep her emotions off her face.

Ranma, oblivious to the affect his words were having on her, sat up straight and held his hand behind his head in embarrassment and said, "yeah, I don't think Kodachi is gonna try to do anything about the change in engagement again, at least not for a long while anyway."

Nabiki frowned at that. Was he just going to ignore what she had said earlier? He still considered her his fiancée? She looked at him quizzically and he just smiled at her. She guessed that after what Akane put him through on a fairly regular basis, what she had put him through so far wasn't all _that_ bad in comparison. Well ... she would have to do something about that, she couldn't keep him, she just ... _couldn't_.

"Yeah ... about that engagement stuff ... " she said in a weak voice, not really knowing how to say what she needed to say.

As she paused to think of how best to tell him to go back to Akane, he jumped in, "oh, don't worry about it, Nabiki. I know you like to joke around. It's fine, we can talk about it more later."

Why did he have to be so nice right now? _Why right now?_ She tried to open her mouth to tell him that he needed to go back to Akane, but no sound would come out. She could feel the tears welling up inside her.

 _Stop it!_ She yelled at herself. _Do what needs to be done!_ She willed herself. She opened her mouth again, and strained against the urge to cry while Ranma looked down at her in concern from the edge of her bed.

He could tell that she was trying to say something and couldn't, so he reached down and grabbed her hand and tried to encourage her, "what is it, are you okay? Do you want me to go get Kasumi?"

 _Damn it ... damn it, damn it ..._ ** _damn it!_** _And damn him_ ... she thought bitterly as she tried and failed to hold back the tears. She turned quickly away from him in a panic as she shook him off her hand to curl up in a ball. She didn't want him to see her cry.

Ranma stood up quickly at that and backed away in a hurry, "I'll get Kasumi, she'll know what to do! Hang on, Nabiki!" He yelled as he dashed out of the room. She turned back around as soon as he got up and thought about getting up to close the door, but she couldn't seem to will her body to get up.

Kasumi ran into the room, took one look at her, gasped and slammed the door after her so hard it rattled the walls, and sprinted to her side. She pulled her up into surprisingly strong arms and held her tightly. She ran her fingers through her hair and rubbed her back as Nabiki let go, and sobbed. Kasumi rocked her back and forth and let her cry.

"It will be okay, ... it'll be okay..." Kasumi tried to comfort her.

Nabiki choked out as Kasumi held her, and she made the most painful decision she had ever made in her life, "no it won't ... **_no it won't_**! I've ruined _everything_."


	10. Standing Up

Nabiki let Kasumi hold her in her arms until she stopped crying and slumped in exhaustion. She didn't have anything left inside to cry with. She only had grief inside. Her older sister rubbed her back and lowered her down on the bed after a minute had passed and Nabiki hadn't resumed crying. Kasumi smoothed her hair out from under her neck with cool hands and leaned down and kissed Nabiki on her forehead.

"Sleep. I'll come and check on you later," she said as she rose from the bed to leave. She paused after taking a few steps and turned back and said sadly, "it will be all right in the end, Nabiki. Sometimes ... sometimes things happen for a reason. Just be patient, and trust in yourself ... even the darkest night will see the sun rise." With that said she turned softly, opened the door, stepped through it, and closed it quietly behind her.

Nabiki heard Ranma's muffled voice through the door ask, "--asumi ... iki okay ?--"

She heard Kasumi answer him as their voices moved away from her door, "--ust leav ... er be ... she'll be fine--"

Nabiki turned over and buried her face in her pillow and wished desperately that was true as she fell into a dreamless sleep.

  


***

  


She awoke later that evening and looked at her clock. It was well past dinnertime, which explained why she felt weak with hunger. She rolled out of bed, stood up and walked slowly to the center of her room. She looked at herself in the mirror.

"Who are you?" She asked her reflection quietly, and with no small measure of disgust. She wasn't the weepy girl she saw standing looking back at her from the mirror. She was strong, independent, calm, cool and collected. She didn't know how this other girl had taken hold of her, but she was done with this. She had been pulled so far off her center that she was certain it would take her weeks to regain it.

She quietly opened her door and walked to the bathroom. She could hear her family downstairs doing what they did every night, eating, laughing, and being together. She intended to regain her place in that. But first, she had to finish what she and Akane had started.

She closed the door to the bathroom, flipped the light on, and looked at herself in the mirror up close. It wasn't as bad as she had been fearing. Her eyes were red-rimmed and bloodshot, and her cheeks were a little puffy. But, when she made her face into the dispassionate professional mask that she usually wore, most of the evidence of the day's toll on her disappeared. She forced herself to smile and thought, _you can do this._ _You don't love him, and he doesn't love you. It's best to just walk away from this before someone gets really hurt._

She stared at herself in the mirror for a few more moments, wishing she really believed that. Then, with a sigh, she leaned down and ran the cold water and let it fall over her hands before she splashed it over her face. The cool water would help hide the signs that she had been crying. And it helped to clear her head too.

She stood up straight and grabbed a towel off the shelf next to the sink and dried her face. As she set it down she slid her professional mask into place like a suit of armor, and she wrapped her emotions up behind it. Then she took a deep breath and repeated, _you can do this._ She stood up straighter and put some steel into her back. She was not going to be bowed or broken by this. She had survived way worse things than this. She would survive this without any problem; and she was determined to come out of it stronger than she had been before. That was what she did, she turned bad situations into wins. She was good at it, she did it all the time, and she was going to do it again.

With a nod to herself in the mirror she squared her shoulders and headed out of the bathroom. She crept back to her room and slid inside without being noticed. In no real hurry, she slid off her school uniform dress and changed into one of her favorite comfortable outfits, a turquoise loose t-shirt and white shorts with a yellow hem. She felt safer and more secure in her old comfortable clothes. Now that she had put on her armor inside and out, she waited in her room until she heard Ranma come upstairs. He had very distinctive footsteps. She listened at her door until she heard him go into his room as he announced that he was going to take a bath to his father.

A moment later she slipped out of her room and headed downstairs to grab some food. She didn't want to face him again just yet. She was happy when she saw that Akane wasn't downstairs either. For that matter, everyone seemed to have headed off to bed or other activities that took them away from the downstairs area.

She walked into the dining room, and was not at all surprised to find Kasumi waiting there for her with a single setting at the table ready for her.

"Eat." Was all Kasumi said as Nabiki dropped into her place at the table.

She ate hungrily, not even really tasting the food. She realized as she bolted the food down that she hadn't eaten since breakfast and she was weak with hunger. That explained her shaky hands. Well, at least she hoped it did. Kasumi kept refilling her rice bowl and plate until she had taken the edge off her hunger and stopped eating. She leaned back from the table and stared away at nothing as Kasumi slipped a cup of tea across the table to her.

She pulled the cup to her and just held it in her hands for a moment as she savored the warmth of it and enjoyed the subtle scent of the tea wafting up. She wasn't particularly cold physically, but she was frozen inside. She didn't know if she would ever feel warm inside again.

"How are you feeling?" Kasumi asked her kindly. Kasumi seemed to always be kind. Nabiki wondered what well of personal strength she had discovered that she could draw from that allowed her do that.

"I feel ... fine." Nabiki said with her professional mask firmly in place and her voice detached and even a bit sarcastic. It was amazing how easily one could slip back into a well-practiced persona like that.

Kasumi frowned at her. Even that amount of negativity from her was more than she usually ever showed. After a moment, she said, "are you sure you're fine ... you didn't seem to feel fine ... before..."

Nabiki forced herself to smirk as she met Kasumi's eyes, "what, a girl can't have an off day?"

Kasumi stared into her eyes for several heartbeats, and Nabiki could tell she was trying to decide if Nabiki was telling the truth or not. Good. If Kasumi couldn't tell, then her mask was properly in place.

"Did you know that Ranma tried to apologize to Akane this morning?" Kasumi asked before she took a sip of her tea and broke eye contact with her.

It took every ounce of Nabiki's self control not to react to that. She calmly set her cup down, arched an eyebrow and asked, "oh?"

"Yes. Apparently it didn't go very well. Akane told me a little bit about it this evening. Mostly in between calling him a jerk." Kasumi said calmly before she sipped her tea again.

"Why do you think it didn't go well?" She asked.

"Knowing Ranma, he probably said something he ought not have. And, knowing Akane, she probably said something because of her pride that upset him." Kasumi said sweetly. It was amazing how even when she was saying something negative, it came out of her like she was describing just a temporary thing that could easily be wiped away with no harm done. She was sure it was an act, but even knowing Kasumi as well as she did, and with her own training in the art of deception, she could never read any ulterior motives behind anything Kasumi ever said. She would never willingly get into a poker game against the girl.

Nabiki wanted to continue the conversation as they were having it, but at that moment she heard Ranma's distinctive footsteps heading down the stairs. It was time to put an end to this.

Kasumi cocked her head to the side as if she was listening to something, then she focused on Nabiki again and asked, "why don't you just give Ranma back to Akane?"

Nabiki blinked at the rather blunt question. But it was the kind of question she could use, so she went with it. She plastered a smirk on her face, and pulled out her sarcastic tone and said, "I want to ... but I can't. The truth is, I always _have_ been in love with Ranma."

Kasumi frowned at that, "you're joking, right?"

"Duh." Nabiki retorted. She could hear him creeping around just outside the dining room. It was time to do what needed to be done. She bit the inside of her cheek to force herself to stay in character.

"You shouldn't tease him like that."

"But it's so much fun!"

"He'll be mad when he finds out."

"Oh, come on, Ranma's a big boy, I'm sure he can take a joke." Kasumi actually grimaced at her when she said that. But, it didn't matter. She heard his footsteps moving away from them a few moments later, and knew that she couldn't go back now, even if she wanted to.

She and Kasumi spent a few more minutes chatting pleasantly about nothing, then Nabiki decided it was time to head upstairs, do some homework, and wash her hands of all of this. She was sure it would be over by morning.

As she walked out of the room, Kasumi spoke again softly, "Nabiki ... sometimes ... things happen for a reason. And ... sometimes ... things don't always turn out the way we planned..."

She didn't turn back to look at her older sister, but she paused in the doorway to listen to her.

"...and sometimes, things work out the way they do, because faith wasn't enough, and someone had to _make_ them happen." Kasumi whispered just loud enough for Nabiki to barely hear her.

She turned to face her and allowed her eyes to widen as she found Kasumi looking into her eyes as earnestly as she had ever seen her look. She whispered back, "have you ever said that to Akane?"

Kasumi nodded once with a sad smile.

"Do you think she knows what it means?"

Kasumi sadly shook her head back and forth once.

All Nabiki could do at that point, without breaking character, was to nod sharply at her. Then she quickly left the room. Kasumi could be frighteningly prescient sometimes.

She slipped into her room and had just settled down at her desk to do some of the homework that she knew she was now very behind on, when she heard a knock at her door as it started to open.

 _Please don't be Ranma. Please don't be Ranma. Please don't be Ranma._ She chanted silently to herself as she swiveled in her chair to face the door and whoever was coming in. It was Ranma. As he cleared the door he smiled at her and said, "hey there Nabiki! You got a minute?"

 _Well ... damn_. She thought to herself as she screwed on her best fake smile and asked, "what's up?" She didn't look him in the eyes.

He sat down on the floor at her feet and smiled up at her before he said, "I'm glad to see you're feeling better."

She didn't say anything to that, even though she wanted to. It was sweet of him to be so concerned about her.

Her lack of a response didn't stop him, he continued in a weirdly eager way, "so, if you're feeling better, would you like to meet me in the park tomorrow after school?"

Oh, she now understood what he was doing. She was surprised he had moved so fast, but fine, if he wanted to press her, she was game. "Are you asking me out?" She asked in her best innocent voice.

"Well, yeah. I figure if we're engaged, we should go out." He replied in a way that was so unusual for him, that if she hadn't been playing along with him, she would have laughed in his face at his transparency. As it was, the words he said made her ache inside.

"I guess so." She said reluctantly.

Ranma grinned and said, "great," enthusiastically as he stood up quickly and dashed for the door and said over his shoulder, "then it's a date! See ya!" And like that, he was gone.

A date? She felt sick. She really didn't want to spend more time with him right now. She was having a hard enough time keeping up appearances as it was. Plus, there was the very real possibility that she would slip and say or do something she shouldn't on a date with him. She needed Akane to take him back, and fast. She muttered to herself as she thought about it, "I really don't know if I can stomach being around him too much." She looked down at the papers in her hand, and made a decision as she said to herself, "maybe it's time to break it off."

She scribbled out a map on a scrap of paper along with a few instructions and hopped off her chair and headed out her door for Akane's room. _It's now or never._ She thought to herself as she knocked on her door.

She heard Akane yell out to come in, so she opened the door and stepped into her room as Akane turned from her own desk and faced her. They both just looked at each other awkwardly for a moment. When it was clear Akane wasn't going to throw her out of her room on principle, Nabiki made her way over to Akane's bed and sat down.

She looked into her younger sister's eyes, and wondered what she thought about. It was weird thinking of her as a possible rival for a romantic interest. Not that it really mattered anyway. She figured she would thank her before getting down to business. She owed her that much. "So, Kasumi told me you fought someone for me today, and carried me to Doctor Tofu's afterwards. Thank you."

Akane nodded at that and said with a small smile, "you're welcome, but no thanks are required. No matter how mad I may be at anyone in this family, I would _never_ allow anyone to hurt any of you."

 _Damn it, Akane. Quit being noble when I'm trying to be noble._ Nabiki thought with a trace of her old humor as she hid behind her professional mask.

"Well, thanks again anyway, I appreciate it. I guess it's a good thing Ranma won't be my problem for much longer." Nabiki said quietly as she looked at the floor. There was no way she was going to be able to sell this while making eye contact with Akane.

"I don't understand..." Akane replied.

"It's simple, Akane. Ranma came to me and asked me how to fix things with you. I talked to him, and he wants to meet you for a date tomorrow."

"He, said that?" Akane asked incredulous.

"Yeah, he told me he wanted to take you out."

"But...but why?"

"Maybe he wants to apologize, I don't know." Nabiki got up and walked quickly to Akane and shoved the piece of paper into her hand, still without looking her in the eyes. She needed to get out of Akane's room before she lost it. "You're supposed to meet him here." She walked quickly to the door and said over her shoulder as she left, "have fun with Ranma."

She slipped back into her own room thankfully without running into Ranma again. She leaned against the door for a moment and just breathed deeply trying to control the darkness that was welling up inside her and threatening to pull her down into it forever. She could do this! She crushed the darkness under the weight of her determination and pushed herself off the door slowly.

She wandered over to her bed and flopped down on it heavily. She just lay there face down for a few moments as she tried to summon the will to do anything else. There was no way she was doing homework now. With a sigh she reached down the side of her bed and pulled out a bag of cookies and some leisure reading. She opened one of the books and grabbed a cookie and tried to read for a moment as she munched on the cookie, but it was no use. Her mind was swirling with everything that had happened today, and she couldn't even taste the cookie.

With a sigh she thought about Akane, and was happy that her younger sister would be happy again. She deserved to be, and her little switch with the date should fix their issues. Ranma would show up looking nice with a smile on his face, and Akane would show up looking nice and expecting him to be nice to her. There was very little that could go wrong. Ranma wouldn't just turn around and leave her there once he figured out that Nabiki had substituted Akane in her place. And, once he was actually on a date with her, and they were both on their best behavior, everything else should fall naturally into place. She said out loud to herself, "that should take care of everything. You know, sometimes I really _am_ a nice person!"

She added in a whisper, "it's better this way. I want him to be happy with Akane."

 _Liar_. She thought bitterly to herself.

 _I know_.


	11. The Thin Line

[Music tip: I was listening to Yui's _Green Garden Pop_ album when I wrote this. I'm kind of obsessed with her right now. You may get more out of the chapter if you listen to Yui as well (especially _Again_ and _Rolling Star_ ) when you read this ^_-]

  


After a mostly sleepless night, Nabiki rolled out of bed the next morning and stood in front of her mirror again. She looked tired, but at least she hadn't been crying. She cast a critical eye over her body and decided it was high time for a bath, some hair styling, and ... as little Ranma as she could get away with today.

She rolled her eyes at that thought. The boy lived in the same house as her. How was she supposed to avoid him, move out?

Actually, that wasn't such a far-fetched idea. She would be graduating high school in a year and a half. Maybe she should talk to some of her friends about their college entrance exams, and plans for what they would do after high school. Nabiki had always intended to attend the University of Tokyo. She was sure she was good enough to get in. Once she was in, she could live in the dorms, or live off-campus with her friends. Of course, she could live off-campus with her friends regardless of what their college status was.

She smiled at that thought. It would be nice living with her friends and having a bit more control over where her life was going. It would also be nice not to live anywhere near Happosai. She would be sad to be away from her sisters and daddy, but it wasn't like she would be leaving Tokyo, so she could still see them ... occasionally. She wasn't sure she would want to be around Ranma and Akane too much after they got married. If they got married. _I don't know if either one of them are going to be able to grow up enough to actually take that step, if they date only each other_. She thought sadly.

But, that was Akane's problem, not hers. She still thought things could have been amazing between her and Ranma. But, she didn't want Akane to suffer, and she didn't think Ranma would ever trust her again after the last few day's events. She couldn't say she blamed him. She was fairly certain that he had at least some feelings for her as well, but she doubted he would ever summon the courage to act on them.

With a sardonic smile on her face she walked quietly from her room to the bathroom in her robe and thought about all the things that could have been as she quickly bathed and then styled her hair. When she was done she slipped back out of the bathroom and into her bedroom again without running in to anyone. She closed her door behind her with relief. She wasn't going to go so far as to hide from Ranma, but she would be happy to avoid running in to him at least for the morning. Once he went on his date with Akane later in the day, she was sure things would be back to more or less normal again. Not that things were ever really normal around this house.

She slipped off her robe and changed slowly into her school uniform dress as she watched herself critically in the mirror. She needed to do her exercises and she needed to do something to relax and clear the stress lines from her face. She decided to go out with her friends in the evening after dinner. There were no classes tomorrow, so she could stay out late. Maybe they would do some karaoke or go to a movie.

She allowed herself to feel a little bit happy about that. She was not going to let her feelings for someone rule her life. She was able to find joy outside of being in a relationship. Hell, until recently she hadn't even _wanted_ to be in a relationship. She had been perfectly fine toying with guys, dating them, allowing them to think she liked them, accepting their gifts, and moving on to the next guy. She'd never even allowed one of them to kiss her. She needed to regain her center and get back to being that person again. That was where she was in control. That was where she felt safe. That was where she ... didn't ... get _hurt_. She bit her lip at that thought, and forced herself to take slow deep breaths to calm down as the tears threatened to come. They seemed to always be at the surface-level lately. But she refused to cry today. Today was going to be different.

She took a last deep breath, took one last look in the mirror, straightened her collar, and then strode purposefully out of her room. She made her way quickly downstairs and headed straight for the front door. She would grab something to eat on the way to school. She was really hoping to avoid running into Ranma.

Of course, the universe rarely worked the way one wanted. As she slid the door open to go outside, she found herself face to face with Ranma, who had been in the act of reaching for the door to open it from outside. He was dressed in his martial arts training clothes. He was obviously coming in from his morning's training.

They both froze and just stared at each other. She saw several emotions flash across his face in rapid succession from surprise, to anger, to determination and ... was that guilt? Then he plastered a silly grin on his face that didn't reach his eyes, which stayed wary, and said, "hey Nabiki. I was about to go see if you were up yet. How are you feelin' today?"

She let go of the door and stood up straight and regarded him for a moment as she decided how she wanted to respond. He just stood there smiling at her, which made it much harder to lie to him, even though she was fully submerged in her professional persona. Finally, she managed to say carefully, "I'm fine, Ranma, thank you."

He nodded and asked, "great, can we talk?" He reached over and grasped her hand gently as he said that. He didn't yank her off her feet or squeeze hard, but he did pull gently to try to get her to walk towards him.

_Oh ... please no, please don't do this ..._ she thought desperately as she allowed him to pull her out of the door and started walking with him. He didn't let go of her hand, and she didn't really want him to.

They walked in silence together as he led her around the house to a secluded corner in the back. When they reached it, he swung her around gently and pressed her softly into the small corner of the house that formed a niche between the walls for the house there and the walkway that led to the dojo. There were a lot of trees and bushes ringing the area as well. It was one of the more private corners on their family's land. He stepped close to her and grasped her hands gently as he shielded her from the view of anyone who might look their way. Her breath was starting to come quickly as her heart beat faster. He smelled good. She hated that. It would have been so much easier to pretend to be disinterested in him if he smelled bad, or he was mean to her, or he was rough with her, or ... or _anything_.

She looked into his eyes and did her best to ignore everything as she kept her professional mask up and asked, "my my, aren't you being forward today. What's up, Ranma?"

He smiled at her in what she was sure he thought of as his best _lady-killer_ smile. It still didn't reach his eyes, that hurt her a bit. She knew he was trying to get back at her for what she had said to Kasumi. She also knew she deserved it.

He leaned in closer to her and pressed his chest against hers as he continued to hold her hands. She couldn't help herself as she started to blush from head to toe. He tucked his chin in around her neck and brought his lips up against her ear and whispered so only she could hear, "I've been thinkin' about what you asked me for on the roof yesterday if I wanted to stay your fiancée ... "

Her heart leaped into her throat. _Oh ..._ ** _no_** _. Oh no, please .... please no ..._ she whimpered to herself inside.

He continued after a moment's pause, "... if you were serious, would you like to do that today on our date?" He leaned back after he said that and paused with his nose almost touching hers. She could feel his heart hammering in his chest as he stayed pressed up against her. She was sure he could feel her own heart hammering right back. That was something she just couldn't hide.

It would be so easy ... _so easy_ ... to just lean forward and surrender to what she wanted to do. She could tell that even he wanted to. He might be mad at her, and he might not love her, but she could tell that he at least found her attractive. He wasn't a good actor. He wouldn't be able to do what he was doing if he found her unattractive. At least she had that. Maybe she wouldn't be able to keep him, but maybe she could ... maybe she could ...

_No!_ She screamed at herself. She would not let herself be pulled off her center any further than she already was. Not when she was close, _so close,_ to fixing this whole mess and being able to move on with her life. Akane didn't deserve to be left in limbo any longer, and Ranma didn't deserve to be jerked around, and she ... she didn't deserve to suffer like this. _She didn't_. She wasn't a bad person. _She wasn't_! She hadn't meant for _any_ of this to go so far. She just needed to stay strong a little bit longer, then it would be all over.

_All over._

_All over._

_Forever._

She thought sadly as she stared into his eyes and wished that her life had taken a very different path from the one she found herself trapped on.

With a supreme effort of will she pulled her head back from him and whispered, "I think I hear Akane calling you."

He let his gaze stay on her for a moment longer, then he took a step back from her and smiled as he continued to hold her hands. They both knew Akane wasn't calling for him, she wasn't exactly quiet. The loss of the warmth of him against her shocked her as efficiently as a bucket of cold water would have. She cemented her professional mask on her face, and forced herself to smirk at him as she added, "you shouldn't keep her waiting, you know how she gets."

He nodded and let go of her hands and asked quietly, "see you after school?"

"Yes." She whispered just as quietly as she let her suddenly cold hands drop to her sides.

He winked at her and said, "I'm looking forward to it." Then he quickly pivoted on his heel and darted off towards the front of the house again. He didn't look back.

"I'm sure you are." She whispered after him as she bit her lower lip to keep from crying. She was pretty sure she tasted blood after a moment. She slid down against the wall on legs that would no longer support her as the adrenaline rush he had triggered left her feeling shaky and sick as it fled.

Today was going to be ... a long day.

After a minute had passed, she summoned the willpower to stand up, and did so on shaky legs. She brushed the dirt off her backside and straightened her dress with unsteady hands. She would do what she had planned for today for the greater good. Ranma would be back with Akane by the end of the day, and life would go on. She wasn't a bad person. She told herself repeatedly as she gathered her strength to go face the day.

_Yes I am._ She thought miserably as she looked sadly in the direction he had left and wished more than anything else in the world that he had stayed here with her.

She walked slowly for the front gate and headed for school as she warred with herself over what she wanted to do, and what she knew she was supposed to do. Kasumi's words to her last night echoed in her head over and over again as she walked. She knew what Kasumi had meant, but she didn't dare follow the advice.

The path she had chosen was the best for everyone, and that was all that mattered. It didn't matter what she wanted. Nobody loved her, and she didn't love anyone. She would become the ice queen that so many people called her behind her back. She could feel herself freezing on the inside as she took each step closer to the school and her resolve hardened. It would all be over after today. She just had to hang on. Just ... _hang on_. She told herself repeatedly as she walked into the school and took her seat in a daze. She could see the worried looks her friends were sending her way, but she just couldn't bear to get into it with them right now. She'd cry on their shoulders afterwards. If she let her resolve slip for even a second today, she knew she'd break, and she didn't think she would ever be able to go through this again. _Never again_. She promised herself, the heartache just wasn't worth it. She'd rather be the ice queen.

  


***

  


She reached the end of the day without remembering how she got there. She didn't remember class. She didn't remember lunch. She didn't remember the empty conversations she had with her friends. She was frozen inside. She made her way home quickly and grabbed her bike to go for a ride. She intended to just ride around the neighborhood and clear her head. She had no intention of going anywhere near the park Ranma would be waiting for her in.

Of course, what she intended to do wasn't what she wanted to do, and somehow she found herself on the street in the shopping district that bordered the park. She'd just take a quick look to make sure Akane met up with him all right. No harm in that.

Her breath caught in her throat when she saw Ranma standing in front of a flower shop a couple dozen meters away. He was buying flowers. Wow, he really was going all out for his little revenge plan. She could see that he was saying something to the shop keeper, and he was standing in an angry stance. As the shop keeper walked away after Ranma paid him, she could tell that Ranma was talking to himself. She was about to ride away to make sure he didn't see her when he started yelling.

"--ank Nabiki?! Yeah right, for what?! Ruining the rest of my life?!"

Well, she knew for sure now. The date was a trap. She wondered what he could be planning? As she rode away quickly before he spotted her, she tapped into her frozen center and said to herself, "well, it doesn't matter ... the poor boy's plans are for naught. It's Akane who's going on the date! Sorry to disappoint you, Ranma!"

She stopped short just down the street as she saw Akane rounding the corner heading towards the park. She was dressed very cutely in her very best dress. She was wearing makeup, and she had styled her hair. She was also smiling happily to herself and humming as she walked. This wasn't good.

With Ranma as visibly angry as he was, and Akane clearly looking forward to a nice date with him, she could see her plan falling apart with every happy step Akane took. She muttered to herself, "Akane... geez... she looks awfully happy." She had to change the plan. Ranma was too angry. She needed to calm him down before she threw him at Akane. If they fought again, she didn't know if she would survive having to go through again what she had been through in the last few days.

She turned around and rode quickly to the meeting place. She spotted Ranma and increased her speed. She needed to distract him and pull him away from Akane until she'd calmed him down. She plastered a silly smile on her face and called out to him when she was close enough for him to hear her. "Ranma!" As he turned towards the sound of her voice she thought sadly, _I guess I have to play along with Ranma, for Akane's sake._

Ranma had just managed to turn all the way around when Nabiki reached him and plowed right into him with her bike, running him over. She stopped for a moment and looked back with the best playful smile she could summon from her frozen center.

As Ranma got back up to his feet he sputtered, "Nabiki! You--you--"

She took that as her cue to get him to chase her. She pedaled off quickly as she forced herself to laugh and said playfully, "catch me if you can!"

A moment later she felt the bike frame shudder as Ranma landed on the back of it. It was inhuman how fast he was. He cackled gleefully and said in a forced cheerful voice, "little minx! Gotcha!" He put his hand on her shoulder and said, "you're gonna spend the whole day with me!"

She looked down at his hand on her shoulder and said playfully, "oh? Awfully forward, aren't we?" She then quickly looked left and said, "oh look, there's Akane!"

She could feel him shift his weight as he looked where she had indicated as he asked in a worried tone, "where? Where?"

She took the opportunity to steer under a low-hanging tree branch and knock him off the bike. She had to admit that she resented his guilt towards her sister. She knew she had no right to, but she did anyway. She called out to him as she rode away, "just kidding!" She added quietly in a small voice as a small dragon of jealousy rose up unbidden inside her, "serves you right." She winked back at him as she put distance between them. Now that she had let him vent a little bit of his frustration on her, she tried to send him back to Akane. "Hey, Ranma?! If you're _so_ concerned about my sister, why don't you go back and apologize to her?"

He surprised her by getting back up to his feet and chasing her again. She quickly rode into a nearby hedge maze and ditched the bike in one direction while she went in the opposite direction. She was sure that if she hid from him, he would lose interest in chasing after her. Then she just had to get him to make it to the meeting with Akane before she gave up on waiting for him. Why was _everything_ so complicated?

She jogged up one of the trails in the maze as she doubled back towards the entrance. She figured she'd let him run around in here for a while until he cooled down and then--

She stopped quickly and let out a startled yelp as she leaned back as a hand burst through the hedge to her right and reached for her. It was Ranma's arm.

Ranma called out from the other side of the hedge, "there! There! There!"

She danced backwards out of range and thought in a panic, _what is he trying to do ... hit me?!_ That made her angry, but it also made her happy. If he was that off balance, it should be easy to tip him back to Akane.

Ranma then pushed his head through the hedge so he could see her, smiled angrily and declared, "you can't get away now!" He started walking through the hedge to get to her. Why was he acting so angry? Had she hurt him that bad? Or ... was it something else? He shouted at her as he cleared the hedge, "you've played with my feelings for the last time!"

She needed to calm him down, this was getting out of control. She brought her hands up to her face and assumed an innocent pose as she asked him carefully, "you mean ... when I said I loved you?"

He cracked his knuckles angrily as he walked towards her and growled, "it was all a joke to you, wasn't it?"

Oh, this wasn't going well at all. It would have been better to let him fight with Akane again than to let him get into the state he was in now. Still, she couldn't help be a little happy that he was so obsessed with whether or not she actually loved him or not, and how hurt he seemed to be when he thought she lied about it. She turned away from him and summoned her theatric skills as she said, "Ranma... I'm a _girl_ ... do you think I'd joke about something like that?!"

She ran off at that both to put some distance between them, and to also sell her performance. As she ran off she buried her face in her hands and fake-sobbed, " ** _how could you?!_** "

Ranma was left standing there with a shocked expression on his face, stammering after her, "H-H-Hey! ..."

Nabiki turned a corner and stopped to catch her breath. She had to admit, the cat and mouse game they were playing was kind of fun. Still, he was terrible at it. She said quietly to herself, "Heh! Amateur! He may be cute ... but he sure is dumb!"

Ranma's voice sounded from above and behind her, "Oh, _so!?_ " He jumped over the hedge and chased her again as she ran away. He yelled after her, "now you're _really_ gonna pay!"

Nabiki was trying desperately to figure out how she could salvage the situation she found herself in. Instead of bringing Ranma and Akane together again, all she seemed to have really done was get Ranma to be openly angry with her. She needed to get him refocused on Akane ...

She blinked as she ran past someone, and realized it was Akane. She came to an abrupt stop and turned around wide-eyed just as Ranma reached through the hedge Akane was running past, and grabbed her, thinking she was Nabiki.

_Well ... that's one way to get him refocused on her_. She thought in surprised approval as she watched him tighten his grip on her. He would have to realize he was holding Akane in a moment. Her younger sister had a completely different build than she did.

Ranma yelled from behind the hedge, "A-HA!" Akane just yelped in surprise. She probably didn't even realize it was Ranma who had hold of her yet. Nabiki took a couple of hesitant steps towards them. She hoped Ranma realized who he had hold of shortly, or this was going to turn ugly ...

Ranma continued to pull on her sister, dragging her through the hedge as he cackled to himself a bit unhinged and yelled, "I've got you _now_! You're. All. Mine!"

Okay, well, so much for him realizing on his own that he had Akane. She'd better help him. She shouted across the hedge, "Ranma! What are you...? What're you doing to _Akane_?!" She put extra emphasis on her sister's name, hoping to snap him out of it. Akane had recovered from her surprise, and she was starting to thrash around in his grip as she fought to pull away from him as she growled in anger.

Ranma continued to pull on Akane, "I told you, I'm tired of your sick little games!" A moment later, he succeeded in pulling her through the hedge, and immediately pulled her into a fierce hug as he practically screamed, "you know something?! **_I love you!_** "

Well, that had been ... unexpected. Was that his idea of getting back at her? Lying to her with the same thing she had told him? Pretty weak. She leaned forward through the hole in the hedge and watched curiously to see what would happen when he realized he had Akane in his arms. The dragon inside her that was her jealousy tried to rear up and call out to him that he had the wrong girl. But her ice center froze it in place. If Akane took him back right now, then it would be all over.

Neither Akane nor Ranma moved for a moment. Then Ranma pushed her away from him so he could look into what she assumed he still thought would be her eyes. He called out passionately as he did so, "don't you understand that I can't ever let you go? We'll be together for an eternity!"

When he finally saw that it was indeed Akane he had in his arms, he froze with a shocked look on his face. This was it, the moment of truth. Akane had no idea he had meant to say those things to her. She would take them at face value ... she hoped. If Akane could just ignore the whole pulling-her-through-a-hedge thing, this could be where the whole mess went away. Nabiki held her breath as inside she died a little with each passing second.

Akane looked up at Ranma and blushed from her neck to the top of her scalp.

Ranma stuttered as he also blushed and said, "A-Akane...?" He then looked through the hole in the hedge to see her standing there watching them, and jumped up to bounce around shouting, "No! No! No! No! Noooooo!"

Akane was still looking up at him with wonder on her face. Well, good for her. She deserved to be happy. This should be it then, she could make her exit. She stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder and said, "I'm a witness! I'm a witness!" Then she turned and looked at Akane and said with a smile, "I'm so happy for you, Akane."

She wanted to mean it. She didn't.

Akane looked up at her with eyes shining with unshed tears and said, "Na-Nabiki...?"

Nabiki couldn't handle seeing the rest of this. She quickly turned on her heel and walked urgently away from them as she said, "you two be good! Bye-eee!"

That had been a pretty weak play on Ranma's part. She was mildly disappointed as she thought, _that's his idea of revenge? What a lame-o!_ She meant to leave the park quickly. But the dragon inside her wasn't dead yet. It still had enough heat left to fuel her quick turn around the corner so she could listen to what happened next. She was going to be ... upset ... if they didn't get back together after all this. She couldn't do this again, she just couldn't.

She heard Ranma say, "...like I said, I was just trying to trick Nabiki."

Akane replied in her usual disbelieving tone, "oh, you expect me to believe that?"

Ranma retorted, "hey, I don't care if you don't believe me, but it's the truth."

There was a pause, and then Akane said in a small, cheerful voice, "you know, Ranma ... I'm getting tired of all this. Why don't we just become engaged again?"

The dragon inside her died then as the ice won. She didn't hear anything else they said as the blood rushed to her ears and her world shrank. She swayed on her feet and for a moment she was afraid she was going to faint. Then it passed a few minutes later, and she started to come out of it enough that she felt she could at least walk. There. A broken heart wasn't so bad. She could get through this.

She let a single tear roll down her cheek as she forced herself to stand up straight and turned to walk away, and found Ranma standing there looking at her with a confused look on his face.

_Oh God ..._ ** _please no_** _... I can't, I can't, I can't, Ican'tIcan'tIca--_ she thought in a desperate panic as she backed away from him. She even thought about running, but she knew she'd never outrun him.

He looked at her quizzically and walked over to stand in front of her as he focused on her face. She knew her mask had slipped. She tried to put it back in place, but she couldn't, there were too many cracks in it now. It was a lot harder to pretend when one was dying inside. 

When she had backed away to what she felt was a safe distance she stopped and summoned the last of her willpower and asked him, "shouldn't you be with Akane right now?"

He looked at her curiously as if he was trying to piece something together in his mind. He said as he continued to look at her with a puzzled expression, "Akane's on her way back home."

"Didn't you two ... make up?" She was glad Akane was happy again. _No I'm not._

"Yes and no. She asked me to be engaged to her again, I gave her the flowers."

"Oh." Was all she could think to say. She tried to turn and walk away, but he moved to stand in front of her again. She looked up and met his gaze with an exhausted one of her own as her lower lip trembled while she tried to smile confidently at him. She didn't have much endurance left in her. She needed to get away from him before it was too late.

She didn't deserve Ranma, but she didn't deserve to be tormented, either. She wished he would let her leave. _No I don't_.

"I told her I'd think about it."

_See, they're back tog--, wait, he said what?_ She looked up at him in disbelief as her breath caught.

"You see, Nabiki, I think I have you figured out now." He said with a small smile as he reached for her hand.

_Oh no!_ She thought in a panic as she backed up quickly from him and held her hands in front of her face. What was going on?!

"You see, Nabiki, I don't think you've been tellin' me the truth." He said as he walked slowly towards her while looking at the ground, but she could see that he was smiling. He stopped a little bit away from her and said quietly, "You're very good at this kind of thing. You tell a lot of half-truths and leave things unsaid so you can claim you never technically lied. It's been really hard tryin' to figure you out. But, I think ... I think you _do_ have feelings for me, and everything _else_ has been a lie."

Nabiki started to crumble inside. Everything was falling apart. Her family was going to be broken. Akane was going to try to kill her. Maybe she should just let her do it and put herself out of her misery. She locked eyes with Ranma as he finally looked up at her and grinned as he held up a single rose he had saved from the bouquet he had been carrying earlier.

She had to stop this, she had to stop this _now_. She didn't take the rose. Instead she forced herself to frown and say, "I don't know what you're talking about. You belong with Akane."

_Liar._

"Hurry, go catch her and go home with her. That's what's best."

_Liar._

"I don't love anyone, especially you, Ranma."

_Liar._

As she protested, he dropped the flower on the ground and continued to step towards her while she babbled, never letting his smile slip, and never breaking eye contact with her. She noticed that his smile _was_ reaching his eyes this time.

He stopped when he was less than half a meter away from her and lifted his arm to point at her as he said, "you're lying, Nabiki. I can tell you are."

She blinked at that. If he could read her through her masks, then it was all over.

"You see, that's the thing that's had me confused through this whole thing. We hadn't done much talkin' before this started except stuff anyone would say livin' in the same house with someone. But ... since this started ... and we've been talkin' ... and you've said the things you've said, I have been gettin' all kinds of mixed signals. Your body language would jump all over the place, while your face would say one thing, your words would say another ... but your voice ... your voice I think was the only part of you tellin' the truth. I think ... I think this started out as a game to you, but then stuff you had been hidin' inside started to come out." He walked forward and grasped her hand and asked as he stared into her eyes, "what do you think?"

"I ... I ... I don't ..." she stammered as she shook her hand loose from his and desperately tried to figure out a way to stop this and protect her sister.

"I think you really do have feelings for me."

_Yes!_

"And you just don't want to, or can't admit it."

_Yes!_

"I think that maybe ... maybe you wouldn't be as all right with it as you say, if we didn't stay engaged." He said as he blushed.

_Yes!_

He stopped at that and looked down at the ground as he waited for her to respond.

Her world was spinning out from under her. She knew what she was _supposed_ to say, but she didn't know if she could any more. She leaned back into the hedge behind her and kind of sat in it as she looked at him in shock. How ... _how_ had he managed to figure that all out? _Maybe he isn't nearly as simple as he likes people to think he is,_ she thought as she stared at him, more afraid than she had ever been in her life. She wanted to cry, but the tears seemed to be stuck, everything seemed to be _stuck_. She had a raw feeling in her throat, and she didn't know what to do. _What do I do?!_ She screamed at herself in despair.

He walked over to her and held his hand down to her as he smiled kindly at her. She reached up with a shaking hand and took it. He pulled her up to her feet then slipped his arms around her waist. Her mask started to shatter.

He held her with his arms around her loosely as he looked carefully into her eyes and said, "you know, you never answered me this morning."

"Answered what?" She whispered in a shaking voice as she avoided his eyes.

"About what you asked me for yesterday on the roof." He replied as he continued to try to look into her eyes. He finally managed to get her to look at him, and smiled as he saw whatever it was he was looking for.

Nabiki desperately tried again to get him to go back to Akane, "you mean the kiss? Ranma, you know ... you know I was just putting on an act..."

"I know ... but you still haven't answered." He pulled her closer.

"But, what about Akane?" She asked in a whisper as she looked away from him and tried to lean back without much of an effort.

"What about Akane? I'm not engaged to her, I'm engaged to you." He said in his own whisper as he held her tighter. He smelled nice, like a cedar wood mixed with some sort of a flower.

"But ... she ... asked for you back ..." Nabiki stammered in a quickly weakening voice.

"You asked me first." He said as he leaned in towards her.

"Ranma ... " Nabiki tried to protest with her last remaining strength. He paused and looked into her eyes, looking for permission to continue, and the last of her strength gave out. She nodded once, fiercely, and he smiled. She couldn't do what she was _supposed_ to do any more. She stopped leaning away from him, and instead pressed herself in to him, as hard as she could, as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself up to embrace him like he was her only chance of not drowning.

She buried her face in his neck as she held on tightly and the tears started to flow. She was numb. She wanted to die, and to stay like this forever. She whispered into his neck, "...we can't do this..."

He tilted his head down and buried it in between his shoulder and her own face and continued to lightly press in between until his face was right next to hers, cheek to cheek. Her tears were now smeared all over him as she continued to cry as she held on to him fiercely and let go of everything she had been trying to hide for the last several days. He whispered back to her with his lips on her cheek, "yes we can."

A few moments later he pulled her up higher and brushed her lips with his own and lightning struck her through the heart, and a new dragon was born inside her. He pulled back and tried to look into her eyes romantically. But Nabiki was done with that. She lunged forward and kissed him, hard, as he held her. He pulled her in tighter and kissed her right back. It was her first real kiss. It was the strangest and most wonderful feeling she had ever experienced in her life. She was sobbing as she kissed him; her tears were mixing with his sweat, and their lips were pressed together and her mouth was open, and she was trying to devour him. He was warm, so warm, and she felt like she was awakening from the deepest sleep she had ever been in, and the dragon inside her burst into a flame to rival the sun and roared to the heavens in triumph.

And, just like that, the ice inside of her began to melt. The grief went away, the pain went away, and the awful weight lifted from her. She felt herself falling, free and falling forever. And she knew, at the end of that fall, was Ranma.

For the first time in a _long_ time, she felt happy ... really, truly ... happy. As she kissed him with her arms wrapped around him as tightly as she could, she continued to cry tears of relief and thought, _God help me, I can't pretend any more. I'm going for it!_


	12. Hope

Nabiki clung to Ranma's neck and kissed him until she was exhausted. It didn't take long, she had already been at the limit of her endurance by the time he had come to talk to her. She finally stopped kissing him and let herself slump against him as she buried her face in his neck. She probably could have gone to sleep right there in his arms as he held her in the middle of a hedge maze in the park.

Nabiki wanted to stay in Ranma's arms for the rest of the day. Well, longer than that actually, but she didn't live in a dream world. Even in her blissful state, she knew that. Ranma hadn't said anything since she had kissed him. She wanted to ask him a lot of things, but right now she was fine with the comfortable silence between them. She didn't think she could summon her voice reliably at the moment anyway. Her breathing was coming in ragged gulps as she tried to calm herself down. Her eyes and throat ached from the crying, and her heart was still beating very fast. She could feel Ranma's heart beating in his chest as he held her. Ranma's heart ... she would need to address that soon. She was well aware of the fact that he hadn't made her any promises, and that he _had_ told her sister that he'd, "think about it," regarding getting back together with her. But all of that could wait. Right now, she was just enjoying the moment.

She felt better now than she had in a long time. The last time she could remember feeling so happy was the last birthday she had spent with mom, before she passed away. Of course, it wasn't that she was never happy ... but not like this ... never like this. She tilted her head up to look at Ranma and found him looking down at her as well. He smiled when he caught her eye. She smiled back. A real smile, not a theatric smile, not a smile that was part of a mask, just a smile. It was nice to be able to do that.

She knew that he could stand there all day and hold her. She had seen him lift things weighing far more than she would ever weigh, and swing them around as weapons. If he could do that, he could certainly stand still and hold her off the ground. But she knew that asking him to do that would be treating him like a toy, and she was determined not to treat him like anything but a person. She would have to have a very different relationship with him, now.

She made eye contact with him, then looked briefly down, then back up to him. That was all it took. He gently set her down on the ground right away. Say what one would about Ranma's social skills, his ability to read other people's intentions was in some ways better than even her ability to do so. He was still holding her tightly pressed up against him. But, to be fair, she had her arms wrapped around him as well.

She didn't want the moment to end, because she knew that _everything_ was about to get painful, and complicated, and in many ways ... _ugly_ ... after the moment passed. There was no way that it couldn't. Her mind was already puzzling out ways to resolve some of the issues. She couldn't just snap her fingers and solve his problems, because many of them were because of things he had said or done, or refused to say or do. But, she could help him where she could.

Of course, she needed to find out what it was he wanted before she got too ahead of herself. And then there was Akane ... she did _not_ want Akane to be hurt. There had to be _some_ way out of this that didn't end in heartbreak for her.

She took a deep breath and summoned the willpower to let go of him. He immediately moved with her motions and released his hold on her as well. He was very good at reading her. She was sure it was because of all of his training on reading his opponent in battle. She smiled at that thought. She had done everything she could to fight him finding out about how she really felt. So, in a way, it had been a battle.

She finally looked up at him as he continued to hold her and asked in a very shaky voice, "so, Ranma ... what do we do now?"

He looked down at her and said in a small, one might even say scared voice, "I ... was kinda hopin' you would know that..."

She considered that. She couldn't really blame him, but she wasn't going to make his decisions for him. She stepped back and looked into his eyes as she slid her hands from around him to slide down his arms and end with her holding his hands. She smiled and said, "let's talk."

He nodded hesitantly and followed her as she began walking out of the hedge maze. She had let go with her left hand so she was only holding on to him with her right hand. She led him to where she had ditched her bike, and she reluctantly picked it up off the ground as she let go of his hand. Once she had it righted, she used her left hand to push it along next to her while she held onto his hand again with her right.

Oddly, he seemed to be retreating into himself the closer they got to the exit for the hedge maze. By the time they had left it, he was walking somewhat hunched over, and his hand was loose in hers. That puzzled her. He had been like a different person in the hedge maze. She led him a short distance over to a small pond she liked to come to sometimes. It had lots of trees around it, and lots of bushes and large rocks scattered around. There were all kinds of secluded little areas to sit and relax, read a book, watch the water or study. It was also a fairly common date location. But not in the middle of the afternoon.

As soon as they entered the more secluded area, his body language changed. He stood up taller, his grip firmed up on her hand, and his movements became more fluid and less jerky. She wondered if he was aware he was doing it. She led him to one of her favorite spots by the pond. It had a large tree in front of a huge moss-covered boulder which was surrounded by tall bushes. The only clear view into the area was from the pond itself. She liked to think of it as her little pond-grotto. Ranma gave the water a suspicious glance, but otherwise followed her without complaint. With his little problem, she couldn't say she blamed him for his hydrophobia.

She left her bike leaning against the tree and sat down on the mossy grass. Ranma just stood and looked down at her with a confused look on his face. She sighed and pointed to the ground across from her. He nodded and quickly moved over to it and sat down with an expectant look on his face. She wasn't sure what he was expecting, but she wanted some answers from him at the moment.

She scooted closer to him and held her hand out for him to hold. He did so quickly. She blushed a bit at how eager he seemed to be. He seemed to be expecting her to take the lead. She was more or less fine with that for now, but later they would have to talk about that. She started off with a simple question she already knew the answer to, so she could test how he would respond to her.

"When I was talking to Kasumi last night, did you overhear me?"

He nodded his head slowly while maintaining eye contact with her.

"And when you asked me on a date for today, was it for revenge for what you heard me say?"

He nodded again and his eyes narrowed a bit, but he didn't break eye contact, or take his hand back.

"Are you still mad at me?" She asked, a little bit scared of the answer.

His gaze softened and he shook his head gently.

"Okay, Saotome, I am going to need you to actually speak, please." She said with a small smile. She knew it was easier for him to deal with these kinds of things as passively as possible, but she could only take so much head waggling.

She decided to press him for an answer to a question that she didn't already know the answer to. She licked her lips then asked in a voice she was proud didn't shake, "why didn't you take Akane back when she asked you to?"

Ranma's eyes widened and she could feel him tense up as she held on to his hand, he looked into her eyes and stayed silent for a few moments before he finally said, "I ... I don't know."

She just looked at him and said nothing, encouraging him to elaborate. He finally did so after close to a minute of silence. "I ... I honestly don't know why I did what I did. I was _so mad_ at you that all I really wanted to do today was try to pay you back. But ... when that didn't work, and I grabbed Akane instead of you ... I kept thinkin' that I just wanted to win the fight, you know?"

Nabiki went cold inside. Was he saying what she thought he was saying? Her eyes started to water as she let him talk, hoping he wasn't about to say something terrible.

"I wasn't even really focusing on Akane when I talked to her. I was thinkin' about ... you."

Nabiki kept her eyes on him, but her smile was slipping. He was scaring her.

He smiled at her then and said, "I realized then after Akane had talked to me, that I cared more about my little fight with you, than I cared about all of the fights I have ever had with Akane. There's something about you, Nabiki."

She relaxed a little at that, but not much, and asked, "so ... you think it is more fun to ... _fight_ with me?"

He nodded his head enthusiastically as an answer. When he saw her unamused expression and raised eyebrows, he added, "n-not because I _like_ fightin' you just to fight you. I-It's ... I don't know, it's just that you're challengin', you know?"

She softened her glare at that, but continued to gaze at him with a displeased face. When he didn't add anything more, she asked, "so ... is that what this is, then? Are you still just trying to win?"

He didn't respond for a moment, and he let his hand go limp in hers. Fear began to creep in around the edges of her happiness. He was going to say that he won, and then jump up and go home and laugh with Akane about it.

_Oh_ God _. Oh_ God _. Oh_ God _. OhGodOhGodOh_ \--

Ranma's face morphed from shock, to panic and then to outrage in under a second. He pulled his hand away, and looked down at the ground for a few heartbeats, then he looked back up at her and said in an unusually strong voice, "I would _never_ do that. It's one thing when both of us are playing a game and trying to trick each other. It's another thing to mess around with someone like that and use their real feelings against them. _I'd never do that_!"

_Oh ... thank God_! She thought to herself in relief as she did her best to keep her nervousness off her face. She would have to analyze his behavior on the subject later, but now wasn't the time. She held her hand back out to him, and he nervously reached out and took it again.

She took a deep breath and stared at the ground again as she finally summoned the courage to ask, "well then, how do you _really_ feel about me?" She could feel him tense up through his hand when she asked. Not a good sign.

When she looked back up after a moment, she found him looking down at the ground as she had been, and red from embarrassment. It was so odd to her that he had almost immediately reverted back to his usual behavior around girls. She decided to be patient and not push him. Inside her, though, a growing sense of dread was deadening the joy she had been feeling. _What have I gotten myself into_? She thought with a bit of frustration.

He finally looked up at her, smiled shakily and said, "I like you, Nabiki."

Well, it was a start. She smiled softly at him and asked, "all right, and what do you want? Does you liking me mean anything? Or is that it?" She asked softly. She would rather find it out now, and deal with two broken hearts in one day, than let him string her along and end up as yet another one of his suitors. She wouldn't do that. She couldn't do that.

"I ... I don't know ... what you mean ..." He seemed to try to answer as best he could.

She figured she could rephrase it and make it simpler for him, "are you ready to make a choice? Can you tell the rest of them that you have chosen someone else?"

"I .... I ...." he stammered.

"I thought so." She said sadly, as she took her hand back and let it fall limp into her lap.

He looked up at her in alarm and asked in a very small voice, "what'd I do wrong?"

She sighed and said as the tears threatened to come, "nothing. You didn't do anything wrong. It's my fault for letting myself get so emotional. I knew the situation you were involved with, and I chose to let myself get pulled into it anyway."

He replied in such a whisper that she couldn't even hear him, so she simply widened her eyes and turned her head a little bit so her ear was facing him more directly. Again he displayed his remarkable ability to read people and leaned towards her ear and whispered, "what _should_ I do?" He sat back and looked at her with hope in his eyes.

"I ... I don't ... Ranma ... I _can't_ make this decision for you." She said in her own whisper. She added after a moment, "besides, I am not a disinterested third party, I couldn't possibly give you impartial advice." She said with a small smile.

"I ... it's just ... Pop taught me a lot of things, you know?"

She nodded with a confused looked on her face, she didn't see where he was going with this.

"Pop ... taught me the Art. I am only as good as I am, because of his trainin'. He can be scum, and he can be a coward, and some of the stuff he taught me was junk or just stupid, but his trainin' was good, and he taught me other stuff too..." he trailed off as he looked up at her and met her eyes. She nodded for him to continue. She had an idea where he was going with it now, but wanted to hear him say it, he continued, "... one of the things he taught me is something I believe in too ... I ... it just isn't right ... to ... make girls cry." He finished lamely.

Well, that hadn't been exactly what she had been expecting him to say, but it was more or less what she had suspected he was going to say.

"I cried today, because of you." Nabiki said softly. He jerked upright into a nervous sitting position and nodded that he knew. She could tell he felt guilty. She added after a moment, "but it wasn't because you did or didn't do anything. It was all because of me. Does that change anything for you."

He shook his head softly.

"Ranma ... people cry. Girls probably more than boys, but even boys cry too. I saw how upset you were when Akane got super strong that one time eating the old pervert's noodles, and how easily she could beat you after that." She said gently.

He stiffened at that. She knew that because of his dad's nonsense, that implying that he had been crying or that he had any weakness or was not masculine in any way, was a pretty big insult to him. She wondered how he reconciled that with the fact that he changed into an attractive female at least ten to thirty percent of any given day, sometimes as much as all day, depending on what he was up to.

After he hadn't said anything for a while, she added as she tried to bring them back on topic, "if you choose someone, and the rest of the girls cry and then move on with their lives, would that _really_ be so bad?"

He hesitated for a long while as he stared at the ground, then shook his head softly in a motion that was barely perceptible.

She swallowed hard and asked the question she had been dreading, "if you could pick who you wanted, ignoring promises your dad made, and anyone else's ideas of what you should and shouldn't be doing, could you think of maybe one person you could pick over everyone else?"

He nodded very slowly once, as he looked up at her with fear on his face. Raw, naked, fear. He was terrified of this. She wondered why. Was it just because he didn't want to hurt people? Was it because admitting that he preferred one over the other would in a way be losing the romantic, _battle --_ for lack of a better term, with the rest of them?

She decided to push a little harder and see if she could get him to face some of his fears. "Do you have feelings for Shampoo?"

He shook his head emphatically _no_. Good, of all of them, Shampoo was the one Nabiki liked the least, and she was the only one Nabiki was afraid of. She was glad he didn't have any feelings for her, because she didn't know any way to handle her other than shutting her out, and possibly taking much stronger measures.

"Do you have feelings for Kodachi?"

He shook his head vehemently _no_. No surprise there.

"Do you have feelings for Ukyo?"

He paused at that one and looked into her eyes and nodded a very small yes. She had been expecting that, so she had a follow-up question.

"If your dad hadn't engaged you to her and then run off and caused her the trouble he had caused, would you ever have thought of her as anything more than a friend? Would you even have known she was female, or gone looking for her?"

He looked at her sadly, then looked all around them, and she could tell he was also straining his hearing to try to figure out if anyone was watching them. Finally he looked back at her and shook his head in a motion that almost wasn't there. She smiled at that. _One down_.

Now for the one she already knew the answer to, "do you have feelings for Akane?"

His eyes widened in shock and embarrassment, and he looked at the ground for a long time before he looked back up and nodded. It hadn't hurt as much as she thought it was going to hurt, but she still wasn't happy to see him confirm that he had feelings for her sister.

Finally, with a deep breath, she summoned her courage and locked eyes with him as she asked, "and do you have feelings for me?"

He was much faster in answering her and nodded his head immediately, then looked down again.

"Okay, so, just like I have told Kuno-baby on numerous occasions, I am going to tell you ... you can't keep _everyone_ you have feelings for. You only get to keep _one_. You're gonna have to _choose_."

He nodded miserably that he knew. She could see by the expression on his face that he was fighting back tears, probably from frustration. _Wow, he really struggles with this, doesn't he? I wonder how much of it is just an ego thing?_ She thought as she considered what to say next.

However, something occurred to her just then, and she couldn't not ask the question that sprang to mind, mostly because of the reaction she knew it would produce, "... Ranma ... " she asked gently, "... you ... you don't have feelings for Kasumi, do you?"

He actually choked at that one and started coughing. He gulped down air and had to steady his breathing for a moment before he whispered, "what?! No! Why would you even ask that?"

She smiled and said in her teasing voice, "well, I mean, listen, lots of boys like the motherly type, and Kasumi _is_ gorgeous..."

He frowned at her. He clearly didn't like her joking about such things. Well ... tough, if he was going to be with her, he was going to have to get used to her sense of humor. She stuck her tongue out at him and continued, "all right, so, it sounds to me like you just have a decision to make between two people. A decision I can't make for you."

He sighed and nodded. She added, "and I am not like the rest of them, I will _not_ wait around forever for you to make up your mind."

He looked up at her with a slight panic at that.

She stared hard back at him, and he nodded his head after a moment. Then she added, "but I'll tell you what, why don't we make a deal?" He looked up immediately at that with an earnest expression of hope on his face. The poor boy really had no poker face at all. She sat back and hugged her knees to her chest and looked at him for a moment before she continued.

"Here is the deal I am willing to make with you... I will give you one week to make up your mind. In that time, I will be happy to tell people we are still engaged, or you can tell them you switched back to Akane, or you can say you aren't engaged to anyone, up to you. During that time, I think you should date Akane, and me. I would not tell Akane that is what you are doing, if you know what is good for you. Forget the engagement stuff. Figure out who it is you have the best time with, the most fun, and most importantly, who _feels_ the best when they are with you. I don't mean physical stuff, either. I mean, I want you to use that fancy martial arts training of yours to listen to yourself when you are on these dates, and I want you to be honest with yourself. Forget about duty and honor and promises your dad made on your behalf. And forget about what you think everyone else wants from you. That stuff is important too, but you cannot give everyone what they want from you, so you need to first figure out who you are going to choose before you can take care of the needs of the one you do pick. Figure out who you are happiest with, and who makes the best partner for you, and then _tell her_. After that, you need to tell the other girls too. If you want to tell them beforehand, I don't care. But you can't wait any longer than the end of the week to tell everyone your decision."

Ranma just stared at her, mouth agape and breathing very shallowly. She was afraid he might start to hyperventilate. She waited him out with a hard look on her face. She needed him to know she was serious. Even though she now knew he could see through her theatrics.

Finally, he calmed down enough from the panic she caused in him, and managed to ask, "that is ... a lot of stuff ... " he trailed off not knowing what to say.

So she helped him. "Don't you want to know what _you_ get out of the deal?" She asked gently. He nodded his head eagerly.

She rolled her eyes and sighed as she said, "in exchange for what I am asking of you, I will promise you three things. First, I promise that I will help you end things with the rest of the girls as best I can to try to help you avoid hurting them, and also to help avoid violence. Second, I will promise that I will be truthful with you during that time period -- I will not trick you, lie to you or deceive you in any way. Finally, I will promise that I will not interfere with anything you do with Akane, or the rest of the girls for that matter."

He stared at her with somewhat suspicious eyes and said, "... that's ... very nice of you... very ... unusual."

She supposed she deserved that. It still hurt, though. She sighed and said, "yes, I know. In the past I have lied to you. I have tricked you, and I have manipulated you. I am sorry about a lot of it ... but not all of it. Some of it was just done for fun, and you have to admit, some of those times were damn funny." She said with a grin that he did not return. She was going to have to work on that sense of humor.

"Is this for real?" He asked in a small voice. "Why are you doing this? Why do you trust me to keep my end of the deal?" He asked curiously.

She looked at him sadly and said as she hugged her knees even tighter to her, "I trust you because above all else, the one thing I have never seen you do, is betray anyone, especially Akane. I have seen you take the fall for her time and time again. I have seen you risk your life for her, and then do it again after your reward was a smack to the head. I have seen you keep every single one of the promises you made to her, and go to extreme lengths to do it. Sure, you will do anything to win a fight, including lying to and tricking your opponents. That's kind of expected, really. I mean, the name of the style is _anything goes martial arts_ , right? But, with Akane, and even Ukyo and Shampoo, when you make them promises, or even when a promise is made to them _for you_ , I see you keep them. Over and over and over again. You like to pretend that you don't care. But when Akane needs you, you're there. When Ukyo needs you, again you show up. And even when Shampoo has taken a break from trying to trick or bully you into going back to China with her, when she has asked for your help, you've done your best to help. You're a very honest and caring person, Ranma. In a lot of ways, those are traits that are going to get you eaten alive in this world. But ... they are also traits that a girl can depend on in a relationship."

She looked down in embarrassment. She hadn't meant for that to all come spilling out like that, but she hadn't been able to stop saying it once she had started. She felt very vulnerable right now. _I really hate that._ She thought in frustration.

After a few moments of thought, Ranma nodded and said, "deal. I promise."

Nabiki was both very happy to hear him say that, and scared to death. She put on a brave face and stared at him for a moment before she replied, "and I promise too."

He nodded happily to her, and they just looked at each other for a while. They both knew that they didn't have anything much left to talk about, and they should get going. But neither one of them was quite ready to leave yet. After a few more minutes of comfortable silence passed, they finally stood up to leave.

She turned around and brushed the grass off her bottom and straightened her dress after she stood up. A moment later, she felt his hand on her shoulder. She looked over her shoulder and found him standing there awkwardly, but looking at her with intense purpose. She cocked her head to the side quizzically, asking the question without speaking.

He stammered and looked at the ground briefly before looking up and whispering, "can ... can we, you know ... like we did before? Before we have to ... go home?"

She smiled at him. She had been absolutely correct when she had considered what getting involved with him would mean a few days ago after he had saved her from the fall from the balcony. She was going to have to teach him some things and be patient with him.Â  Not ... that she had really all that much more experience than he did to draw from. Sure, she had a lot more social experience than he did. But, the only dates she'd been on had been when she had let Kuno take her out, and that had been purely business -- as far as she was concerned anyway. She also knew plenty of the guys in her class lusted after her, of course. But for the most part, she had never really bothered with any of that, except as a way to get gullible guys to occasionally buy her things or just flat-out give her money.Â  She had never been ... in a _serious_ relationship before.

Still, she obviously had more self confidence than he did in this area of life. And, even if she didn't, she could always fake it. That was one of the things she was good at, never letting anyone know what she truly did or didn't know. Of course ... Ranma could apparently read through her masks, so she would just have to be honest with him. She smiled at that thought. It was nice having someone she could be honest with.

In answer to his question, she spun around and walked forward, and slipped between his arms to hug him. He immediately relaxed into her, and pulled her in tightly. The dragon inside her was stirring. She didn't know if it was from desire or just pride that he wanted to kiss her. It was nice just letting him hold her for a while. Nobody really ever held her, except Kasumi, and that was only when she was miserable. This ... was different. This was ... real, and scary, and wonderful and dangerous all at the same time.

She could tell he was getting impatient, but if anything that just made it more fun for her. He kept flexing his arms to pick her up, and she kept dropping her body weight just enough to signal that she didn't want him to pick her up. He held her tighter after a while, and she squeezed him back. He ran his fingers through her hair. It felt wonderful. He was really very gentle when he wanted to be. He put his hand on the small of her back as he kept the other at the nape of her neck buried in her hair and tried to lean her back. After teasing him for a moment and pushing back, she let him. She could see his face now as she allowed him to lean her backwards into his arms. He was smiling shyly at her -- not nearly as self assured as he had been earlier. That made her happy. She smiled back at him. He leaned his head down and she tipped her chin up, and he quickly moved to kiss her ... and instead his lips found her finger pressed against them.

He pulled his head back to stare at her in confusion. She smiled at him and whispered, "if you want to kiss me again, you know what you have to do."

She could tell that he really, really wanted to kiss her anyway. But he had very good self control. He smiled at her and said, "fair enough," as he picked her up all the way off the ground and held her in a hug for several minutes. He ran his fingers through her hair, and held her tightly but gently. She relaxed in his arms and allowed herself to feel safe. Even if it was only going to be temporary, it still felt nice.

She had wanted to kiss him too, but she wasn't willing to be a toy for him. But ... the next week was going to be tough. Now that she had experienced her first real kiss, she really wanted another. She looked up into his eyes as he looked down at her and smiled, and she sighed a determined sigh.

_I am in very deep trouble_.


	13. Sisters

Nabiki walked with Ranma in companionable silence on the way back home. The sun was setting on a day that had actually turned out to be pretty wonderful. She was in a good mood and humming quietly to herself. She was still pushing her bike instead of riding it. She preferred to walk next to him. They weren't holding hands any more. They hadn't talked about it, but both of them knew that while there were several girls running around town thinking they owned Ranma, and willing to back up their claims with violence, it was best to just not tempt fate on the open streets. Not that she was worried while she was with him. She could see his eyes constantly moving, looking high and low, watching for threats. She wasn't sure what he was watching for, but she was sure he wouldn't let it hurt her.

They passed a few people in the streets from their school, but aside from some of them giving the two of them knowing glances assuming they were a couple now, nobody said anything to them. She was glad she didn't run into any of her friends -- she didn't feel like putting on her school-friend persona at the moment.

They reached the gates of the Tendo household and paused and looked at each other hesitantly. Nabiki made a sudden decision then and held up a single finger asking him to wait. He nodded and casually leaned against the wooden frame of the gate. She quickly walked her bike back to where it was supposed to go, then headed towards the side of the house they had spoken at earlier in the day. She looked back at him and waved him over to join her. He looked at her with a nervous expression, but jogged over to where she was anyway.

They slipped around the corner and headed for the same secluded area of the house. As soon as they had reached it, Nabiki crouched down to hide behind the trees and bushes. Ranma mirrored her motions with liquid smooth grace. She idly let herself linger on thoughts of that grace for a moment before she got down to business.

"Would you do me a favor, please?" She asked in a very quiet whisper.

He nodded and stared into her eyes very seriously and set his jaw in a determined grimace.

"I'm not asking you to kill anyone, calm down," she felt she had to say in response to the look on his face. He dropped it immediately and looked embarrassed. He really did lead a different life than she did, didn't he? She continued with a bit of a smile on her face, and some humor in her voice, "I just wanted to ask you to go and ask doctor Tofu to come visit us tonight. Try not to ... you know ... attack him or anything while asking him." She teased with bright eyes regaining her mirth.

To his credit, he rolled with it, "hey, you know me, any chance for extra trainin' ... I hear he is really good, wouldn't mind sparring with him." He put a bit of a smile on his face, but it was awkward. She really did need to work with him on his sense of humor.

"Anyway, can you ask him to come, and to come to the back door? I don't want him to see Kasumi and become useless." She whispered.

Ranma nodded and asked, "do you want me to ask him to come right away?"

Nabiki looked around and thought about that for a moment then replied, "yes, please ask him to come as soon as he is able."

"Okay." Was all he said, and he started to stand up to leave, but she grabbed his hand and stopped him.

She whispered, "thank you. I appreciate it," and smiled at him. She knew that not a lot of people ever thanked him for the favors he did for them. She knew about paying off debts; she didn't want him to feel like she was using him. "If you have a favor like this you want me to do for you in the future, just ask, okay?" She offered.

He nodded with wide eyes, obviously unsure of how to respond to her. She smiled and shooed him away. He nodded as relief crossed his features and he quickly stood up, leaped over the wall, and was gone, just like that. She stood up and stared after where he had disappeared, and marveled at how casually he did such things. Their family land was ringed by a three meter tall wall. He just jumped over it like it wasn't even there. It was incredible what Ranma, and daddy, and the rest of them could do with the Art. Not for the first time, she wished she had continued studying it after the lessons daddy had given her when she was a little girl.

Of course ... it wasn't like she couldn't start up again, right? Nothing was stopping her from studying the Art again. Maybe she should talk to daddy. She couldn't have Ranma train her, that would just be weird. And Mr. Saotome and the old lecher were out as well. Akane ... she supposed Akane could train her, but she knew that things were about to get weird between them. Well, even more weird than they already were.

She hugged herself and shivered. It wasn't really cold out yet, but she felt cold inside. With a last look back at where Ranma had disappeared, she turned and hurried inside.

Nobody greeted her when she entered, and she was quietly glad about that. It was too early for dinner, so she headed upstairs to change and put her stuff away. She walked past Akane's room on the way, and paused. She stared at her sister's door for a while and started to reach for the doorknob hesitantly.

 _Maybe I should talk to her and sound her out, find out how she's feeling?_ She wouldn't try to influence her, as she had promised Ranma. But she could talk to her, and try to find out how serious Akane was about keeping him. If she didn't grow up in the next few days and make a real effort to try to keep him, she felt at least somewhat confident that her own efforts to win this fight would be successful.

She was afraid what would happen if Akane really went for it, though. She had a much longer and deeper history with him than she did. If Akane really went for it, especially if she laid a guilt trip on him, Nabiki wasn't sure she would win.

She pulled her hand back reluctantly from Akane's door and continued on to her room. She dropped her bag on the floor and slid out of her dress gratefully. It wasn't the most uncomfortable school uniform she had ever worn, but it wasn't that great either. She looked at herself in the mirror and was happy to see that the stress lines were gone from her face. She was still stressed, of course, but it was the kind of stress she could handle. She considered taking a bath, but a look at the clock on her nightstand told her she only had maybe three to five more minutes before Tofu should arrive. So instead of flopping on her bed in her undies and falling asleep like she wanted to do, she grudgingly pulled on her turquoise pants and her favorite off-the-shoulder white shirt.

She headed back downstairs in no great hurry. She knew Kasumi would be in the kitchen preparing dinner, so she went out the front door and circled around to the back door, which was also the door to the kitchen. She hoped Kasumi didn't come outside for some reason. She probably should have chosen a different meeting place. Oh well, it was too late now.

She didn't have to wait long. Ranma came bounding over the wall after just a few minutes of waiting. His face lit up with a smile when he saw her. That was ... sweet. It was nice that it made him happy just to see her. She smiled back at him. As Ranma walked towards her, Tofu also leaped over the wall and landed without a sound. He moved with an eerie grace. Where Ranma moved like liquid animated, Tofu moved like a shadow. When he used his Art, it was like he just slid or shifted and suddenly he was somewhere. She wasn't sure how good he was, but she did know he was good. She was the only person she knew of who had ever seen him use is Art for real.

As Tofu approached the house he started to hide it again. It was amazing. Ranma was pretty much always on -- he obviously wanted people to know that he was a practitioner of the Art. The only time Ranma wasn't obviously a Martial Artist, was when he was stunned from a crying female, or an attractive one making kissy faces at him. Tofu, though, he took great pains to hide his Art. He deliberately capered around clumsily and dragged his feet when he walked. He made wide sweeping gestures, and spoke loudly and with a silly inflection in his voice. And it was all an act. She had seen him use his Art twice.

The first time she had seen it, she had been a little girl and just had happened to be on her way down the street past his clinic when she hid from some much older boys picking on a little boy in front of his clinic. Tofu had come outside the clinic doing his act, and asked the boys to stop. They tried to attack him, and he was ... just a blur. One moment he was standing there smiling at them with his hand behind his head asking them kindly to stop, and then one of them raised his arm with a stick in it to hit the younger boy, while the other tried to punch Tofu, a moment later he blurred, and before Nabiki could even blink, both of the older boys were on their backs nursing suddenly sore wrists and the stick was nowhere to be see. The younger boy had thanked Tofu and run off, and Tofu had just smiled at them, then helped the older boys into his clinic to treat their wounds. She could have sworn that he looked directly at her in the bushes and winked before he went back inside, too.

The second and last time she had seen him use his Art ... was the day mom had died. Daddy had sent for him to come to see mom and try to save her, he had sent Kasumi, the oldest. Tofu had arrived literally minutes later from the fastest time Kasumi could have possibly run to his clinic. He must have sprinted to their house from his clinic with an unbelievable effort.

He had been moving at a speed she couldn't follow with her naked eyes. She had watched from an upstairs window for him to arrive, hoping he could do something for mom. When he had arrived on their street, she had watched him blur around everything on the street, cars, bikes, people, dogs, nothing slowed him down. He just simply went over, under or around it. She hadn't known what the gray streak had been until he had paused for a fraction of a second to open their front door. He had been inside the house and at mom's side in under a second from the time he had stepped foot on their land.

He hadn't been able to save mom, but he had tried, he'd tried _so hard_. He had worked tirelessly and desperately to save her, he and daddy had stayed by her side for days. When it had been over, as he sadly left, she had caught a look at his unguarded face -- that had also been the first and only day she had seen Tofu cry. Daddy had cried plenty of times since then, but that had been the only time she had _ever_ seen any cracks in Tofu's very carefully worn masks. She was glad that he was a good man, because she would be even more terrified of him than the old pervert if he weren't. She really wished he would get himself together and do something more serious about his obvious crush on Kasumi. She would be thrilled if Kasumi ended up with a man like Tofu.

But, that was wasn't the issue at the forefront of her mind at the moment. Ranma arrived next to her first and smiled at her again. She smiled back tightly. She thought about sending him away so she could speak to Tofu in private, but changed her mind. Tofu had a long history with their family, and she knew him very well. She had gone out of her way to do favors for him ever since she had been able to do anything useful for him. She figured their family owed him. She knew daddy paid him for his services, but he had always been so kind to their family, and all three of the girls, and she just felt like she had a debt to repay with him. It had started at bringing his little notes and gifts to Kasumi, and progressed to her getting him pictures of Kasumi, fully clothed, of course, and helping him to arrange his finances for his clinic, and anything else she could do for him.

She had also talked to him about serious things. Stuff she was worried about and knew she couldn't handle. Tofu had helped her with those fears, and one of the ways he had helped her, was why she had asked for him to come see her. As Tofu arrived to stand right in front of her, he smiled kindly like he always did, and she smiled back.

She could hear Kasumi in the kitchen behind her, and she could tell Tofu did as well. So she started walking away from the door and further out from the house. Tofu fell into step beside her like it was the most natural thing in the world for him to do. Ranma walked curiously behind them, not sure what was going on. As they walked, Nabiki asked, "do you remember those talks we had about ... three months ago?"

He nodded and said, "of course."

"I think we may need to put that one plan into action."

"The one with the ... ?" He asked with a raised eyebrow?

"No, no, the one where you ... " she prompted him.

He smiled widely at her, and said, "oh, sure, that plan. All right, we can do that. When did you want to do it?"

"I'm not sure. Can you just be ready for the next seven days, starting now?" She asked hopefully.

He stopped walking and held her gaze for a moment with his glasses shining as she also stopped. Ranma looked on in complete confusion. Finally, Tofu asked, "is it that serious?"

"Yes, I think so. We're going to need you."

"Should I prepare for the first option, or the second?"

"I don't think we'll need to take it as far as the second option ... but can you prepare for both just in case?" She whispered.

Tofu nodded solemnly, "all right, Nabiki. I will take care of it. Don't you worry about it, it will be all right, okay?"

She nodded hesitantly, and she flinched a little bit as he kindly patted her on the shoulder. She hated asking him for a favor, but she felt she had no choice this time. She wished he would ask for a favor in return, or payment, or something. She felt so bad taking him up on his kindness.

"Is that all, Nabiki? I need to get back to the clinic, I have a late appointment coming in..." he trailed off in his usual jovial voice as he put his hand behind his head in mock embarrassment.

She smiled at him and said, "yes, doctor. Thank you so much." Ranma came to stand next to her and waved goodbye to Tofu now that he was leaving.

He smiled at her and winked as he started to walk towards their front door. Unlike Ranma, he wouldn't leap over the wall again without a reason. If any of the Tendo girls summoned him, he would rush to them in case it was urgent. Once he knew they were all right though, he had no reason to rush. After he had taken a few steps, he turned back to her and raised an eyebrow at her and looked briefly at Ranma and asked, "together?"

She smiled tightly and briefly raised her flat hand palm down on the side of her body Ranma couldn't see in a, _stop_ , gesture. Tofu switched gears smoothly and asked in a joking voice, "what, is Nabiki teaching you how to read the stars now, Ranma?"

Ranma just stared at him blankly and made a confused noise. He looked at Nabiki for help, but she refused to meet his eyes right now. Since he had proved he could read her through her masks, it just wasn't a good idea to let him read her right now.

Tofu got the message immediately and smiled again at them, waved enthusiastically, and then turned and jogged towards the front gates.

Nabiki sighed and started walking back towards the kitchen door. Ranma stopped her with a light hand on her arm. She turned and looked at him warily. She knew he would want an explanation, but it wasn't a good idea for her to explain right now. At least, it wouldn't be good to explain everything, but she could explain most of it.

Ranma asked his question by simply looking at her, and then at the front gates, and back at her with a confused and somewhat suspicious gaze. She sighed, looked away and said, "ever since mom died ... doctor Tofu has watched over all of us when daddy couldn't. He has _always_ been there for us. _Always_. Like Akane, I've gone to him with my problems, and he's helped me. He and I have worked out some plans for what to do if ... things happen ... that I'm afraid of." She looked back at him and said in a fiercely protective whisper, "doctor Tofu has been like a guardian angel for this family. I trust him. He won't hurt me, or Akane or Kasumi, or you. All right, Ranma? I promise, nothing bad is going to happen to anyone you love, and nothing is going to happen that breaks any of the promises I made to you."

He was still looking at her doubtfully, but his gaze was softening.

She added, "as a matter of fact, I contacted him so that I could start keeping one of the promises I made to you. Can we just leave it at that for now? I promise, I will explain everything to you when it isn't dangerous any more."

Ranma looked at her with still a hint of suspicion, but he reached for her hand anyway and smiled. She looked quickly back to the house checking for anyone looking out of a window. She didn't see anyone, so she allowed him to hold her hand, and gave his hand a quick reassuring squeeze. She leaned in and whispered to him, "trusting each other is one of the things people in a relationship need to do. I trust you, Ranma." She tried to sound like her usual self confident self, but she could tell her voice was shaking a bit.

Ranma looked into her eyes and nodded before he smiled a small smile and whispered back, "I ... I think I trust you too, Nabiki." She could tell he didn't fully mean that, and she knew she hadn't earned his full trust yet. It still hurt to hear him say it like that, though. But, all that did was encourage her resolve to not let him down.

After a moment had passed, she gently pulled her hand out of his and said, "I need to get inside and take care of some stuff. You going to come in too?"

He nodded but said, "I think I'll go around to the front door, so nobody sees us enter together."

"That's not necessary, Ranma. You don't have to hide that you are spending time with me. As far as anyone knows right now, you're still officially engaged to me after all."

He nodded but said, "I know. But I would rather just avoid ... stuff, you know?" He looked away as he said it. She could tell he thought it was the less ... manly ... way to handle things, and that he wasn't proud of it. But she could also tell that he thought it was the best want to handle things. So she nodded and said, "all right, I'll see you inside, all right?"

He smiled and said, "of course." Then he turned and jogged off towards the front of the house. Nabiki watched him go, then sighed and headed for the kitchen door. She wondered how much of all this drama was really necessary.

She entered the kitchen door and stepped into the warm and somewhat humid kitchen filled with the smells of Kasumi's wonderful cooking. She smiled at Kasumi who looked up from the stove and greeted her warmly. "Welcome home, Nabiki. How are you?"

"I'm ... I'm actually all right, Kasumi. Thank you." Nabiki said carefully. She didn't want to say anything careless while in the house. She was well aware that this house had ears.

Kasumi looked at her worriedly, and set the pan down she had been tending as she also turned the heat all the way down to the lowest setting before she walked over to her and put both her hands on her shoulders. Her older sister looked worriedly into her eyes and whispered, "are you really all right?"

Nabiki darted her eyes around her sister looking for eavesdroppers, then nodded her head just a little bit and whispered back, "yes."

"Oh, Nabiki, I'm so happy for you!" Kasumi whispered fiercely as she pulled her into a massive hug. Nabiki tensed up for a moment, then relaxed into it. She hadn't always welcomed Kasumi's motherly tendencies, but at the moment, she decided she was all right with it. She hugged her older sister back just as hard.

A moment later Kasumi let her go but still kept her at arm's length and held on to her as Kasumi intertwined her finger's through her own. Kasumi stared into her eyes looking for signs of deception. Nabiki sighed and dropped her usual defenses and let Kasumi see her as she was really feeling. Kasumi brought both her hands up to her mouth and gasped, "so it's true then. Oh, Nabiki!" She glowed as she regarded her little sister proudly.

Nabiki raised a finger up to her lips and looked pointedly out of the kitchen. Kasumi caught on immediately and mouthed silently, " _A-K-A-N-E?_ "

Nabiki shook her head once sadly.

Kasumi's eyes shined brightly as she whispered, "it will be all right, you'll see."

Nabiki whispered back, "I hope s--"

A large crash from upstairs that shook the house interrupted her. Daddy yelled immediately from the porch, "Akane? ... AKANE?!"

Nabiki's eyes widened and she bolted from around Kasumi and sprinted upstairs as she also yelled, "Akane?!" 

Inside she screamed, _please don't let this be what I think it is!_


	14. Guardians

She rounded the top of the stairs and headed straight for Akane's room. She yanked her younger sister's door open and found the room filled with billowing dust. She shouted again in a more panicked voice, "Akane?! WHERE ARE YOU?"

" **Down**!" She heard Ranma yell from behind her right before he tackled her to the floor. Something sailed over her head and crashed into Akane's room from a direction from outside the house. As she lay stunned on the floor with Ranma laying protectively over her, Nabiki was relieved to finally catch sight of Akane. Her younger sister was laying unconscious on the floor right next to her and she could see the rise and fall of her chest proving she was alive. There was a small scraping sound from the other room, and then a rustle of a breeze, and then silence. Ranma jumped to his feet and ran through the hole in Akane's wall that led to Nabiki's room.

 _Wait, hole in the wall? What the hell?!_ Nabiki thought to herself as she raised herself up to her elbows and looked in wonder at the new hole in the wall. Ranma had run through it to her room and was looking out of an equally large hole in the outside of the house that led into her room. The room was a shambles.

Nabiki got up and ran to him just as daddy made it up to Akane's room and fell to his knees next to Akane and started weeping in his usual over-the-top histrionics. Nabiki knew Akane was all right; she wanted to see what Ranma had found. She arrived next to him and asked as she looked around for herself, "see anything?"

"No." Was all he said without looking up as he stood in the hole, flexing his muscles in anger and looking for something to fight. Nabiki looked as well, and saw a couple of footprints in the grass below her room, and a broken tree branch in the tree nearby. Ranma said in frustration, "I thought I heard something moving out there, but it was just a whisper of something. Whatever it was, its gone now."

"It was Shampoo." Nabiki said in a deadpan.

He turned and stared at her in amazement. "How can you tell?"

She smiled tightly and thumbed over her shoulder at her bed, which was collapsed and almost split in two. Resting atop it was a large metal ball on the end of a stick. One of Shampoo's signature weapons.

Ranma grimaced in shame at missing that and said, "oh ... yeah ... I guess that would explain it..." He walked over to it and picked it up with an angry scowl on his face.

She then pointed into Akane's room and the twin of the weapon sticking out of the wall. Ranma nodded and went to retrieve it. Nabiki looked out the window a while longer staring at nothing. She hugged herself uneasily and waited for him to return. A moment later Ranma came to stand next to her and just stood looking out of the hole in the wall clenching one of the weapons in each of his hands so hard his knuckles were white.

She turned and put her hand on his shoulder briefly as she looked him in the eyes worriedly. He nodded. She smiled and left him there standing watch for a moment as she went to check on Akane. She walked over to where Akane was still laying on the ground. She had a bruise over her left eye where a piece of wall must have hit her. That made her angry. These crazy girls after Ranma were out of control, especially the Amazons. She was glad she was going to help Ranma deal with them.

Kasumi was hovering anxiously just behind daddy, waiting to take care of Akane. She knew that Kasumi wouldn't shoulder him aside, so it was up to her to do it. She tapped him on the shoulder and said, "daddy ..." when he didn't even look up, she swatted him on the shoulder and said, "daddy! Move! Kasumi can't take care of her with you in the way."

She rolled her eyes at him as he looked up at her with his big puppy dog eyes and wailed, "Akaaaaneeeeeeee." But he did indeed scoot out of the way. That taken care of, Nabiki walked back over to the window and stood next to Ranma again.

"How is she?" He asked worriedly.

"She'll be all right, just a bump on the forehead." She replied confidently. Akane had been hurting herself way worse than that long before Ranma and the rest of them showed up in town.

"I am so tired of all of this." Ranma said in a strained voice.

"I know. I am too." She replied. Then she added, "Kasumi will need help moving Akane, can you do it?"

He looked at her, then back out the window and clenched the weapons in his hands even tighter as he asked, "but ... what if Shampoo comes back?"

Nabiki smiled tightly and said, "I suppose I can tell you why I asked you to bring Doctor Tofu out here now." She then turned and faced out the window and stuck her fingers in her mouth as she blew out a sharp long whistle, and then two short whistles.

Across the street, Doctor Tofu stepped out of the shadows and waved at them cheerfully. Then in the blink of an eye he disappeared again.

Ranma's jaw fell open in shock. He stuttered, "I-I have been standing here looking for someone out there..." he trailed off in disbelief.

"Doctor Tofu is very good. Very, _very_ good. I think he's a pacifist, or at least, I don't think he would ever kill anyone, but he is very good. If he doesn't want to be seen, he won't be." Nabiki said with a quiet confidence as she hugged herself tightly against the cold air starting to come in from the window as night settled in outside. She looked outside with a mixture of gratitude and unease on her face knowing Doctor Tofu was out there watching over the house. She didn't plan to tell daddy about it, because she knew he would try to help and frankly probably just get in Tofu's way.

Ranma was looking at her in open shock. "So ... so ... what's he doing out there?" He asked.

"This was one of the plans he and I came up with." Nabiki said simply. Ranma looked at her with raised eyebrows, so she elaborated. "I have been afraid of Shampoo since she came into town. She is wild, violent, dangerous, and ruthless. She isn't like Ukyo or even Kodachi. She doesn't seem to have limits. She also doesn't seem to have any respect for any law that isn't her tribe's law. I think she had been willing to just leave you alone after you rejected her when she first came to Japan. The old crone she came back with obviously is the one pushing for her to continue to pursue you. And Shampoo quite clearly cannot stand up to the old crone. I don't know how brutal they are in that tribe of hers, but I can tell when someone is being controlled, and Shampoo is being controlled by that old lady. I am frankly amazed that she hasn't done something like this before now." Nabiki said in quiet anger.

"So ... what _was_ the plan?" Ranma asked.

"Oh, right, well, because so many people seem to be so interested in this house and everyone in it, and we seem to constantly have people eavesdropping, Doctor Tofu and I worked out some code words to describe the plans we would use."

"Oh, so when you said, that it was the plan with the first option, but not the second..."

Nabiki laughed at that. When Ranma looked at her in confusion, she explained, "he actually just made that up on the spot. It was very clever of him. I just went with it. I think he was just trying to see how much you were following, and what you would do, and I think he also threw it up just to confuse anyone who might have been listening."

Ranma just looked at her crossly, so she elaborated, "the code words I said were, "talks ... three... and seven. That told him I was worried about the Amazons and I was asking for him to try to protect the house."

"But ... he said he had to get back to the clinic for a late appointment." Ranma said, confused.

"Yes, that was code too. The code words he said were, "care ... clinic... and appointment." That was the code telling me that he would start patrolling right away.

"But ... the house was attacked ... " Ranma said worriedly.

"Yes, that worries me too. It was probably Shampoo and the old crone, or maybe that boy who is always following her around. I don't know. But if they were able to get past him, they would have had to distract Doctor Tofu and attack from two different directions at the same time." Nabiki said as she puzzled it out as she analyzed everything she knew so far.

"So ... was it Doctor Tofu I heard in here when I was on the ground with you?" Ranma asked. "I heard someone moving very fast in here right after I knocked you out of the way of the weapon; it sounded like it might have been a fight, but if it was, it was over before it began, and he took Shampoo with him when he left."

Nabiki shrugged and said, "probably. I'll have to ask him later. But whoever it was, was obviously struggling," she said as she pointed to the broken tree branch, and the multiple sets of footprints below.

She then paused and grabbed his hand and looked into his eyes with a small smile on her face and said, "and that now makes three times you've saved my life in the last week. Thank you, Ranma." She said in a very quiet and very sincere voice.

He blushed and looked away as he put a hand behind his head and said, "it was nothing, Nabiki. I just wish I could have prevented Akane gettin' hurt too."

Nabiki smiled tightly at that and said, "I know you do. Speaking of Akane..." Nabiki looked down over at Akane then up at Ranma and he nodded and quickly walked over, bent down and gently picked her up. He was really very kind when people weren't pushing his buttons. Kasumi smiled at him and pulled on the sleeve of his arm to guide him where she wanted him to take Akane. She led him to her room. _It figures. She'll probably put Akane up in her bed_. Nabiki thought to herself with a touch of anger. She knew Akane could take the hit she had received, but it still bothered her that she had taken it at all.

Ranma returned then and stood next to her again, but Nabiki was done standing by the cold hole in the wall. What she really wanted to do was sleep. She looked forlornly at her bed and sighed. She hated sleeping on the guest futon downstairs. But she didn't see any other options available to her tonight. Her bed was salvageable, but with the hole in the wall, it would be freezing in her room, and Akane's room.

Ranma put a hand kindly on her arm and pulled her attention away from her broken bed, and said, "hey, would you like to sleep in my bed tonight?"

Nabiki blushed furiously at that and actually smacked him lightly on the arm in a scold and leaned in and whispered to him, "if I am not letting you kiss me again until you keep your promise, can you _imagine_ how I feel about sleeping with you before then?"

Ranma went white as a sheet and actually took a step back from her in panic. When Nabiki didn't continue, he summoned his courage and stepped back next to her as he waved his hands back and forth and shook his head rapidly side to side and said, "t-that's n-not what I meant! I meant ... you could take my room and my bed ..."

Nabiki smacked her head and muttered to herself, "of course you did. What kind of idiot am I?" It wasn't like the boy was going to suddenly be mister smooth with the ladies, only with her. If he hadn't been able to summon the courage to do anything with Akane except for the rare hug or hand hold with her, then he wasn't going to magically be able to do more with her either. _Frankly, I'm amazed he had it in him to kiss me_... she thought wistfully.

"Thank you, Ranma, I accept." She said with a smile.

Daddy stood up at that point and stumbled over behind Ranma, gathered himself for a moment, then shouted, "RAAAAAAANMAAAAAAAAA!" Behind him. Ranma jumped a half meter into the air and spun around and backed away from daddy as he made warding gestures and asked, "w-w-what? What'd I do?" He asked in a panic.

Nabiki wondered if daddy was using some aspect of the Art to intimidate people when he did that. To her, he just looked like daddy, if a bit more upset, but she could also tell he was concentrating on something. And, Ranma looked absolutely terrified as he looked at him, and he wasn't looking where daddy's head actually was, but about a meter or so higher. Regardless, she wasn't going to stand for Ranma being bullied by daddy tonight. She stepped forward to stop it as daddy said, "this is all your fau--"

She stepped in between them and held her hands out protectively in front of Ranma and put a stern expression on her face and said, "no daddy! It wasn't Ranma! Ranma saved me! Someone threw a weapon at me, and Ranma protected me! You will not blame this on Ranma!" She could see him warring with the words she had spoken, and he opened his mouth to shout at Ranma again, so she yelled again, even louder, "DADDY! I SAID NO!"

At that, he deflated, nodded, and stepped back and asked in a more calm voice, "so, what _did_ happen?"

"Those crazy Amazons attacked the house." Nabiki said as she thumbed towards the weapons Ranma was still holding in his hands. Daddy's face grew angry at that. Good. She had no problem with him directing his anger at the proper target. She even prompted him, "and what are you going to do about it, daddy?"

To his credit, he said, "tonight, I am going to sit by my little girl and make sure she is all right. Tomorrow ... tomorrow ... I am going to talk to my old friend and maybe the Master, and look into dealing with those people once and for all. Enough is enough." At that, he raised his voice and yelled downstairs, "Saotome, get up here!"

Ranma's dad ran into the room a moment later. He was in his human form, and had a serious look on his face. The man was mostly useless, but even he knew when it was time to stand up and be counted, and she could tell he knew this was one of those times. Before he and daddy could get into their war plans, Nabiki interrupted and said, "if anyone needs me, Ranma has offered me the use of his room, and I've accepted. I'm going to head to bed now." She announced then stepped back to leave the room.

Daddy called out behind her, "no, stop." She raised an eyebrow and turned around to find out what his objection was. She wondered if he was going to offer her is bedroom? He looked at Ranma, and then as her, then over at Mister Saotome and then nodded and said as he turned back to her, "I don't think its safe for you to be alone tonight. Ranma will stand guard in the room with you."

"Daddy ..." Nabiki tried to argue.

"No, Nabiki, it isn't safe. Someone needs to be there with you in case there is another attack." Daddy replied sternly. He then added, "besides, Saotome is going to be walking the house tonight standing guard, so there will be an extra bed in there anyway."

"But, aren't you worried about Ranma in the same room as me while I--" she started to ask as she blushed furiously. She couldn't look at Ranma right now. He could read through her masks, and she was thinking decidedly embarrassing thoughts right now.

But, before she could finish her question, mister Saotome cut across her and said, "that is an excellent idea, Tendo. They _are_ engaged now, after all. It's high time they spent some quality time together."

"Saotome, my thoughts exactly!" Daddy replied as he turned and grasped his friend's arms and they both did their weird fake crying thing.

Nabiki rolled her eyes at their antics and chided herself as she thought, _of_ course _they aren't worried about that. Hell, they'd probably be_ thrilled _if they found Ranma and I_ actually _in bed together. We'd probably be married that morning_. She had forgotten about all the times they had tried to force Akane and Ranma together. She rolled her eyes and said, "fine, come on Ranma, I'm tired." He nodded nervously and followed her with a bewildered look on his face. She would have to work on his instinctive desire to be complacent in these sorts of situations. Still, at the moment, she had to be honest with herself and admit that she was a little bit excited that she would be sharing the same room as him to sleep. She had no intention of doing anything with him, but it would still be new and exciting.

They entered his room and she shut the door behind them as she followed him. He pointed quietly to his neatly made futon and stayed rooted in place after that. He refused to look at her, but she could tell he was blushing just by looking at the back of his neck. She couldn't help herself, she walked slowly up behind him. He flinched with each step she took. She smiled at how nervous he was. She leaned right up behind him and breathed warmly on his neck and whispered in her best sultry voice, "take me, Ranma, take me now!"

He jumped a good meter at least in the air and spun around and away from her as he waved his hands back and forth rapidly and said in a panicked voice, "what?! No-no-no-no, we can't, Nabiki, we can't, we can't!"

Nabiki grinned predatorily at him as she advanced towards him quickly as he pressed his back up against the wall and continued to plead. _My, but how shy he is now_ , she observed as she grinned. It was sweet how sincere he was. He had absolutely no filters when it came to women, unless it involved fighting.

She continued to grin her predator grin as she leaned in and put her lips right up to his ear and whispered, "Ranma, don't you want me?"

He gulped and said in a shaky voice, "N-Nabiki, it's ... I-I..."

She leaned back and put a pouty face on as she said in her fake sad voice, "so, I'm not pretty enough for you then, is that it?" He might be able to read through her acting, but he clearly had a hard time doing it when he was flustered and rocked back on his heels by something that embarrassed him. She filed that handy information away for future reference and grinned.

He stopped waving at her and narrowed his eyes as he got that she was joking. She stuck her tongue out at him and then smiled at him. She was tired, but this was fun. She thoroughly enjoyed playing with him.

He leaned towards her with a half-hearted scowl on his face and said, "that was mean." He locked eyes with her. She blew a kiss at him and winked before she leaned in and looked him in the eyes as well and whispered back, "no, _that_ was _fun_." Then she quickly kissed him on the nose and leaned back again. He was still glaring at her, but she could tell he wasn't actually angry at her.

"Wait here, I'll be right back." She announced as she spun on her heel. He nodded as she jogged out of his room to go grab some pajamas from her room, and then dashed across the hall and quickly brushed her teeth. She thought about bringing the pajamas to his room and making him turn around while she changed, just to test him. She was pretty sure he would be honorable and not look, but she also had to admit that she kind of wanted him to look. Still, she had already played with him for the night, and she didn't want the poor boy to stroke out. She'd save that little test for another night. So, she quickly changed into her pajamas and left her street clothes in a pile on the bathroom floor, then jogged back to his room. He was standing exactly where she had left him.

She rolled her eyes as she entered the room and closed and locked the door as she said, "I didn't mean for you to stay _exactly_ there, Ranma."

"Oh." Was all he said as he smiled sheepishly. She had to admit, Akane had him _trained_. She was going to have to undo some of the responses he had built up from her. She didn't think he was actually afraid of her little sister of course, but he was obviously afraid of upsetting her. She didn't want him to be afraid of upsetting her. If anything, she wanted him to want to push her a bit. She liked to be challenged. Oh well, that was something to work on another day. She climbed into his bed and was already getting sleepy. Ranma walked over to the light switch and turned the lights off, and then took up station in front of the door, hands behind his back, like a sentry.

She rolled her eyes and said, "you can sleep, too, Ranma."

He responded without turning around, "no, I can't, I have to guard you. My dad and your dad said so."

She thought about that for a moment then said, "can't you tell when someone enters the room, even if you are asleep?"

"No. I'm not good enough yet. Ryoga's sneaked in and attacked me while I was sleeping before. I fought him in my sleep, but that was because he was attacking me." He said over his shoulder.

She thought about it again, and asked, "so, what if you were sleeping with me, would you be able to tell if someone was in the room and attacking me?"

"I-I ... sure, I guess... but, Nabiki..." He said nervously.

"I told you, Ranma, until you keep your promise, you don't even get to kiss me. When I say sleep me with me, I mean sleep." She said firmly.

Ranma turned around and looked at her and blushed and said, "but ... I've never slept in the same bed with anyone ... not even Pop... " he trailed off as his eyes slid away from her in embarrassment.

She smiled and said, "there's a first time for everything."

He gulped and asked, "but ... what if I touch something ... when I'm sleeping?"

Nabiki considered that, then smiled and asked, "how about this? What if you go turn into a girl, and sleep with me as a girl? If we're both girls, nothing counts, right?" She blushed a bit as she said that.

Ranma nodded as he listened and actually smiled as she finished and said, "that's a great idea, hang on, I'll be right back!"

He ran out of the room, leaving her alone to think for a few moments. She was really too tired to be all that excited about sleeping in the same bed as him, but this would be interesting. If she was being honest with herself, she was fairly excited about the idea though. Even with him sleeping with her as a girl, this would still be a new step for her. And, even when he had the body of a girl, he was still himself inside. Sleeping with Ranma, no matter what body he happened to be wearing, would still be sleeping with him. She hoped he wasn't a kicky sleeper. She smiled softly to herself. _So much for taking things slowly_. She thought. It was a good thing daddy was watching Akane sleep, she _really_ didn't want Akane to find them in bed together until things had been settled and he had made his final decision.

Ranma ran back into the room then. He had changed into a girl as promised. And he had taken the extra step of changing clothes into a smaller set of the Chinese clothes he liked to wear that Kasumi had got him for when he was a girl. His head was still wet, and the red hair was clumped together, but he had obviously tried to dry it with a towel first because it was all frizzy. He was clearly going out of his way to avoid getting into bed dripping wet. Probably a problem he had frequently.

Nabiki had never really thought about it before, but it occurred to her that she usually thought of Ranma as male, even when he was in his female body. That would probably make him happy. She wondered idly if she would start thinking of Ranma as female if he stayed in his female body long enough. _Probably,_ she guessed.

Ranma interrupted her thoughts as he came over and stood next to the bed and looked at her uncertainly. She held the blanket open and invited him to crawl in. He nodded hesitantly and moved very slowly, taking great care not to touch her. She rolled her eyes and dropped the blanket back down, reached out and encircled his tiny female waist, and pulled him closer to her. He didn't have sisters, so he clearly didn't know how to do this. He stayed hunched together in a little ball as she tried to pull him closer. She got him to unclench a little and could now feel his breath on her neck and his legs touching hers.

She reached out and her hands found his hands, and she held them in her own. Ranma's girl hands were so much smaller than her own. She breathed in deeply as she tried to relax and realized that Ranma also smelled like lotus blossoms when he was female. Ranma never smelled like lotus blossoms when he was male. The heady sweet smell was subtle but powerful. She breathed him in more deeply and started to relax as sleep crept up on her.

Like when he was male, Ranma as a female was warm. In that way, he wasn't like most of the other girls Nabiki knew; like a guy, Ranma stayed warm in his extremities, even when he was being a girl. She held Ranma's hands in her own and pulled him in closer to her. He let her pull him in closer, but she could tell that he was still holding himself very rigidly.

She sighed, and pushed on the top of his shoulder while pulling on the bottom of his hip to spin him around. With that done, she pulled his tiny girl form into a classic spooning position with her as the big spoon. She used to do exactly the same thing with Akane less than five years ago, when Akane had still been little.

She felt Ranma relax in to her after a few more moments of holding himself nervously rigid. She smiled as she drifted off to sleep with his warm body helping to relax her even faster than usual. She wasn't worried about being attacked during the night. With Doctor Tofu outside, and Ranma inside with her, even the best ninja on earth didn't stand a chance of getting to her.

Tomorrow ... tomorrow she would start taking care of the crazy girls. Enough was enough. She vowed to herself as she fell asleep, _I will not let them harm my sisters!_


	15. A Good Excuse

Nabiki woke up suddenly and jerked upright in fright. Her eyes scanned the room looking for a threat, but found none. She was breathing heavily and her heart was racing. Ranma immediately leaped to his feet from the bed looking for what had scared her. He stood in a combat stance for a few moments as he stood over her protectively. After a moment she realized she had been dreaming. "It's all right, Ranma. Just a bad dream." She said as she reached out and touched his leg to reassure him.

Ranma looked down at her and nodded as he asked, "what time is it?"

She looked at her watch in the dim light in the room and said, "about a half hour before dawn."

"Close enough, I guess." Ranma said as he walked away from the bed, clearly meaning to stay up.

Nabiki wasn't having it, she settled back into the bed and then held the blanket open for him again and said, "nope, get your ass back in bed. I have no intention of getting up before dawn, and you are still on guard duty, mister." He looked back at her with a somewhat confused look on his girl's face, but walked obediently back to her, crouched down, and climbed back into bed with her. She didn't know if cuddling with her all night had loosened him up a bit, or if he was still just sleepy enough not to care, but he wasn't nearly as tense getting back into bed with her again. He slid his girl's body right up next to her and laced his legs with hers as he slipped one arm under her neck, and draped the other around her waist while burying his face into the other side of her neck. He was gloriously warm, and she really enjoyed that. He still smelled like Lotus blossoms. She wondered if he was aware of that. She supposed that in the grand scheme of things, changing one's sex, hair color, and height were much larger changes than simply having a fragrance appear from nowhere.

Ranma nuzzled into her and she hugged him close to her. It didn't feel anything like when they had hugged yesterday. His tiny girl's body felt nothing like him. If anything, it felt like she was holding Akane when she had been little. The only thing that made it interesting was that she _knew_ it was Ranma inside that body.

She wanted to sleep again, but doubted she would. Her heart was still racing from the scare of the dream. She couldn't remember the details of it very well, but she remembered that it had been about the Amazons having her cornered, and they had intended to kill her.

"What's wrong?" Ranma asked in a whisper right next to her ear.

"What do you mean?" She asked, trying to will her body to calm down.

"You're scared, I can feel it." He replied as he hugged her tighter, trying to reassure her.

"It's nothing, Ranma. Just a bad dream. It will go away." She bluffed.

"What was the dream about?"

"I ... it ... I don't remember." She lied.

"Yes you do, what was it?"

"I ... fine, I dreamed Shampoo was trying to kill me." She muttered, feeling silly.

After a moment's pause of silence, Ranma said earnestly, "don't worry, Nabiki, we're going to get this settled." He hugged her tighter as he said it. Without his male body to wrap around her it felt more like one of her sister's squeezing her shoulder in reassurance than a big strong protector shielding her. But that was fine, she didn't need him to be her guardian. She had gotten along just fine so far without one, and she would continue to do so. Even so, she could feel her heart rate slowing down as the fear left her.

Ranma pulled his head back from her neck and looked into her eyes in the dim twilight coming in from the window. She looked back and tried not to look worried. He smiled after a moment and snuggled back up to her and whispered in her ear, "you're still very good at hiding how you feel, but I can still read you, ya know. I can tell you're worried."

"I _am_ worried, I'm worried you're going to get insufferable with your magic people reading abilities and I am going to have to mallet you." She growled at him. She didn't really mean it, of course, but he was bugging her. She also didn't know how to act around someone who could read through her masks. She'd never had to deal with that problem before. She didn't need him to reassure her. She was capable of taking care of herself. She knew he would never let anyone hurt her, but she didn't want him to feel like he was responsible for her. She also didn't want to base a relationship with him on how many times he had saved her. Because she couldn't return the favor, and they had to have an equal relationship for things to work between them.

He ignored what she had said and whispered, "I promise you, Nabiki ... I promise, I won't let anyone hurt you or your family. All right? It's going to be okay, I promise."

Even though she didn't want him to feel like he had to protect her, she appreciated the sentiment anyway. She hugged him tightly to her and whispered back in his ear, "another promise, Ranma? And you don't want one from me?"

He shook his head and said, "joke all you want, but I'm serious. I won't let them hurt you, or Akane, or Kasumi. I'll even protect your dad if he needs it."

She opened her mouth to argue with him further, but decided against it. She loved that he was so loyal, and that he loved her family too. She loved that he was willing to risk his life for them, even if she didn't think it was necessary. So the only answer she gave him was to hold him tightly and wait for the dawn with him. She drifted off back to sleep like that. Warm in Ranma's arms.

  


***

  


When she awoke again, the dawn had broken and sunlight was streaming in from the window. Ranma was still in bed with her, and wide awake. He smiled at her as she opened her eyes. She looked at her watch and found that only another hour had passed. Her body was perfectly content to stay in bed and sleep, but she knew that Ranma had been more than patient with her. He was an early riser after all, and he couldn't get up until she got up. She smiled and said warmly to him, "morning, Ranma."

He returned her smile and said, "good mornin' to you too. Ready to get up?" He asked a bit eagerly.

She nodded and he moved to hop out of bed, but she grabbed his wrist and said, "hang on there speedy, we need to plan for today." He nodded and settled back down to listen. She thought about it for a moment, then said, "the most important thing to do today should be to try to get Shampoo to calm down. I doubt we are going to get her to back off, but maybe we can get her to call a truce." He widened his eyes but nodded at her in acceptance. She paused a moment before saying the next thing. Even though it had been her idea, she wasn't wild about it. "And ... I want you to ask Akane out today. Take her on a real date."

"A-ask ... Akane ... um, you sure, Nabiki?" He asked uncertainly.

"Of course I'm sure. That's what we talked about yesterday. You have to keep your promise and make a choice. Unless you're telling me you've changed your mind and want to back out of the deal?" She asked carefully. He shook his head _no_ emphatically. "Are you saying you are ready to make your choice now?" She asked in disbelief. He paused for a moment and thought about it, then looked up into her eyes and slowly shook his head _no_ again. "Well, then, like I said, I want you to take Akane out today. You only have a week to make a decision. Best to get on with it." She said with fake sincerity. She just knew that if Akane really fought for him, that he would probably choose her little sister. She just had to be willing to accept the risk. She wasn't willing to be in a relationship with him unless he had really given his options a fair chance and then made a decision. The fact that she was now in direct competition with Akane for a guy didn't bother her at all. _Not. At. All._ She thought sarcastically to herself.

He nodded hesitantly and asked, "where should I take her?"

She smiled at him sarcastically and said, "Ranma ... it's considered poor form to ask for dating advice about one girl from another girl one is involved with, _especially_ if those girls happen to be related..."

He gulped and nodded quickly as he said, "got it, sorry."

She smiled patiently at him and said, "that's all right. You're learning, mistakes are allowed." He visibly relaxed at that, so she continued, "now, let's talk about how we are going to handle Shampoo. I think we should do that at the end of the day, that way it will give you breathing room to take Akane out in case it doesn't go well."

"B-but ... what it they attack the house again while I'm out with Akane?" He asked.

She smiled at him and said, "Tofu is still out there, and my daddy and yours are home. I think between the three of them, we should be fine. I will go outside in a little bit and _accidentally_ run into the Doctor, and invite him to breakfast. I'll let him rest inside while my daddy and yours stand watch for a while."

Ranma nodded at that and said, "I guess that is as good a plan as any ... so ... after I go out with Akane, we'll go talk to Shampoo?"

She nodded at him. _I have no idea what to say to her, but I'll think of something_. She thought with no small amount of fear.

"So ... time to get up...?" He prompted her. She looked over at him and saw on his girl's face the impatience he was trying to hide. It was sweet how considerate of her he was. She wondered if he had slept at all while she had after they had gotten up before dawn. _Probably not_. She thought with some amusement. He was the kind of guy that was all go-go-go once he was up.

She looked at him and nodded as an answer to his request. While she enjoyed sleeping in, now was not the time for it, and she wanted to go see how Akane was doing anyway. Ranma scooted away from her gently and disentangled himself from her. They both stood after that and just looked at each other awkwardly. Neither one of them knew what to say to someone they cared about whom they had just spent the night with literally sleeping together. Ranma actually beat her to the punch as he put his arm behind his head and said, "well ... thank you for not kicking me in your sleep ... I'll see you later today?"

She smiled and said, "sure, meet me back here at the house once you are done with your date with Akane. We will have more planning to do after that. We should start plans for dealing with Kodachi and Ukyo as well."

He nodded enthusiastically and then quickly walked over to the door, unlocked it, opened it, and was gone. She gave herself to the count of five before she moved. She wanted to get her emotions under control first. She wasn't sure what she was feeling, but she knew she didn't want it on her face for the rest of the family to see.

She poked her head out of the room just as he was entering Kasumi's room. She heard him say, "hey Akane, how're you feelin'? I--" then he closed the door and she couldn't hear the rest of it. She sighed, straightened her shoulders and marched towards the bathroom. _Suck it up, girl. This was your idea, so deal with it_. She thought bitterly to herself.

She paused and looked back at Kasumi's bedroom door, and thought, _but ... what if I'm wrong?_ She didn't have time to answer her own question because Kasumi exited her room at that moment and caught her staring. She smiled kindly to her and walked over.

"How are you today, Nabiki?" She asked as she put a hand on Nabiki's shoulder.

"I'm fine." She answered a bit more shortly than she had intended. She was bothered that Ranma was alone with Akane now. Which she shouldn't be, as he would be going on a date with her alone later as well. She needed to pull herself together. She forced herself to smile up at Kasumi and said, "I slept well, how about you?"

Kasumi politely ignored the obvious internal struggle Nabiki was having and answered, "oh, I slept fine. Father had me take his bed so he could sit up with Akane. Once I put a dressing on the bump on her head, and got her undressed and into her pajamas and into bed, there wasn't much left for me to do. I was just checking on her now when Ranma came in, so I thought I would give them a little privacy."

"Where's daddy?" Nabiki asked.

"Oh, he's still in there. He's passed out on the floor by the bed, but he didn't move from her side all night. I don't know why he went to such lengths, she wasn't in any danger. She's been hurt far worse than that before. I'm sure she slept through the night mostly just because she got knocked out by those violent lunatics around her normal bed time."

Nabiki smiled at Kasumi's casual insult that she had slipped in to her comment. It always amused her when her older sister let her mask slip and said things like that. She wondered if she did it on purpose, or didn't realize she did it. Regardless, she nodded in response, Kasumi's assessment made sense. But, she knew damn well why daddy freaked out when any of them got hurt, and she knew that Kasumi knew why as well ... mom.

After he had lost mom, daddy had lost all capacity to handle his girls being hurt or sick like one rationally would. Mother's death hadn't just messed up her girls, it had probably messed daddy up the worst. He had loved mom deeply and totally, and he had tried desperately to save her. And he'd lost her anyway. Now all he had left of her was herself and her two sisters. Just thinking about it brought tears to her eyes. The world really was a cold, dark and cruel place. That was why ... that was why she had to be strong. Only through strength and self determination could someone handle the awful cruelty of the world. But Kasumi didn't need her lecturing her, she knew and coped in her own way, so she simply said in reply, "I figured. Akane's strong, I wasn't worried." They both smiled at that, leaving everything else unsaid.

"So ... I trust that Ranma was a gentleman last night?" Kasumi asked carefully as they both turned to head down the hall together.

She looked over at Kasumi and smiled at her gentle probing as she answered in a leading tone, "wouldn't _you_ like to know," she smirked in a way that she knew would drive Kasumi crazy. She knew that part of Kasumi's interest in the subject was just because she tried to mother her younger sisters. But, privately, Nabiki wondered if part of her interest in her sister's love lives was just due to boredom in her own. Doctor Tofu really needed to get his ass in gear and snap Kasumi up before her older sister gave up waiting on him and went after someone else. _Speaking of the good Doctor, I should go bring him in out of the cold_. They reached the door to the bathroom and she stopped and turned to face Kasumi. She thought a little bitterly to herself, _Ranma has been in there an awfully long time,_ as she looked over at Kasumi's bedroom door while Kasumi said something to her.

"-- you agree?" Nabiki? _Nabiki_?!" Kasumi broke into her thoughts and she refocused on her and tried to play back from her passive memory what Kasumi had been asking her, but it was blank. That was unusual, she was usually able to tune people out but still get the gist of what they were saying. Ranma _really_ had her off her center.

"I'm sorry, Kasumi, what?" She had to ask.

Kasumi smiled tightly at her in the sternest expression she used these days, and repeated herself, "I just asked if you agreed that father would want a full breakfast, or if I should make something light since everyone will be busy this morning?"

Nabiki doubted that was the only thing Kasumi had said to her, since she hadn't answered her question about Ranma. But she didn't feel like sharing her private moments with Ranma with anyone right now. So, she thought about it a moment, then replied with a genuine smile, "I would say go ahead and make a full one. It isn't like people around here have a hard time wolfing down your food."

Kasumi nodded and started walking towards the stairs. She said over her shoulder as Nabiki started to go into the bathroom, "okay, I will ... we should talk later ... when you're feeling like it. I'd like to know how ... things are." She smiled warmly at her as she disappeared around the corner to the stairs.

 _I bet you do_. She thought to herself with a mixture of pride and resentment as she entered the bathroom. She just stood there for a moment gathering herself and trying to re-center herself. _Don't focus on Ranma and Akane. He's keeping his promise, and I need to do the same. I need to figure out how to handle the rest of them_. She kicked various ideas around in her head, but kept coming back to the same one. She knew it would work, but she had a feeling it would start a little war in town. There was another option as well, but she doubted Ranma would go for it. She decided to present both options to him when he got back, and let him decide. With that done she took care of her usual morning routine, then gathered up her clothes from where she had left them last night. She looked longingly at the bath, and decided that she had earned it. She turned the water on to run into the bath and then quickly dashed across the hall to her room.

It was cold in the room, and it was weird seeing as much sunlight in the room as the hole in the wall was letting in. There was still debris all over the place from the destroyed walls. Just seeing the destruction again angered her. She didn't think of herself as a violent person, but the Amazons certainly brought it out in her. She wouldn't be at all sad to see them leave town. She shook her head to clear it and walked gingerly on the cold floor of her room as she shivered in her thin pajamas to reach her dresser. She quickly picked out a new outfit to wear for the day, and then hurriedly left the room and closed the door behind her. No reason to let the cold get any further into the house than it already was.

She slipped back into the bathroom and eagerly stepped into the second section of the room that housed the bath. She closed the interior door and reveled in the steam in the air as it leeched the chill out of her. With the shivering stopped, she slowed down and enjoyed the ritual of the bath. She set her clean clothes on the shelf by the door put there for that very purpose, and slipped out of her pajamas. They were silk, so they slid right off her as soon as she undid the buttons. She looked down and saw that her skin was pebbled with goosebumps from the cold, even though she wasn't shivering anymore. While she waited for the bath to fill, she went over to the showering station and quickly washed herself with lukewarm water. She didn't use the hot because she wanted the bath to have priority on that. Once she was done washing she stepped into the rising waters of the bath and slowly sank into it, letting the heat infuse her with its strength. Well, she thought of it as strength anyway. She hated being cold.

Once the bath was done filling, she leaned back in the tub and relaxed as she let her muscles unwind while she puzzled out what to do about the rest of the girls chasing Ranma. She realized after a few minutes that she usually felt sleepy when she was in the bath, but that she didn't this time. She thought about it and realized that she had slept deeply and well last night. _I wonder if it was just because Ranma is so warm, or if it is because I felt safe with him there? ... Probably both_. She concluded with a smile.

She allowed herself the small luxury of staying in the bath for a good five minutes or so, then reluctantly got out, leaving the hot water for the next person who wanted to use it. She had some half-formed ideas for how to deal with the rest of the girls. But she wasn't really all that worried about them. Shampoo and the Amazons were the ones she was worried about. Kodachi had no real claim on Ranma, she was just crazy. Ukyo had a claim on him, but it was weak, and Ranma had admitted he didn't have feelings for her the way she did for him. _I doubt_ ** _she_** _even has feelings for him the way she says she does_. Nabiki thought sadly. So many people chased after love in any way they could, without really understanding what they were really after or if who they were chasing could give them what they wanted. Some people seemed to just drift through life doing what was expected of them, without really examining their actions or their real feelings. Duty to family and society was a pretty big deal here, and it sadly brought a lot of people to places in their lives that weren't very great places to be.

 _But I won't be one of them_. She swore to herself as she stared into her own eyes in the mirror as she got dressed. She took another moment to brush out her hair, then she put her hands on her hips and said to her reflection, "all right, Nabiki, you're ready to face another day." _And I am not at all bothered that Ranma is still in Kasumi's room with Akane. Not at all_. She thought bitterly to herself. She rolled her eyes at herself as she stepped out of the bathroom and headed downstairs. She headed straight for the front door, braced herself for the cold, yanked it open and let it hit her. _Good thing I took that warm bath before I went outside to get nice and cold again_. She thought with an ironic small smile on her face.

She walked quickly to the gates of her family's land, opened them, and stepped out to the sidewalk that ran in front of the gates. She looked around and appreciated the pretty sunlight streaming through the clouds, and filtering through the trees. The birds were chirping, and some of the neighborhood dogs were barking. After a moment she cleared her throat, clapped her hands loudly once, then twice, and then a third time.

She felt him behind her before she saw him. She wondered if that was her nascent training in the Art rising up from all of the excitement lately, or if he was doing something to project his presence? _It's probably him_. She thought cynically as she turned to face Doctor Tofu's smiling face and bowed politely to him. He was one of the few people on Earth she bowed to. He smiled kindly and bowed back to her then stood with his hand behind his head in mock embarrassment. _He is so goofy_. She thought happily to herself. Just being around him made her feel better. He was one of the rocks in her universe. Always constant, never changing, always there, unflappable, calm, and always willing to help.

"Thank you so much," she said sincerely, then added with a small smile and a twinkle in her eye, "you must be getting slow in your old age, Doctor, they managed to get to the house."

He smiled right back at her and said, "I have a good excuse."

"I'm sure you do, let's go inside and you can tell me about it." She looped her arm through his and pulled him towards the house.


	16. Strong Enough

"So, I take it nothing else exciting happened last night?" She asked Doctor Tofu carefully as she walked with him back towards the house.

He looked around just as carefully, then leaned down and whispered to her. "They tried again later in the night, but I was ready for them and sent them packing."

"Did my daddy or Ranma's see them?" She asked quietly.

"No, I stopped them before they got to within sight of the house the second time."

"All right, we can talk about it in detail later. In the meantime, you could use a rest, and some food." She said as she pulled him into the house. He slowed down and resisted her pull to bring him in.

"Shouldn't I ... stay out there ..." He asked reluctantly as he looked back over his shoulder worriedly at the street. She wondered if he was worried about doing his goofball act around Kasumi, or if he was just worried about there being another attack. Either way, it didn't matter. She knew his thing with Kasumi was just that, an act. As for guarding the house, that would give daddy and mister Saotome something productive to do.

"Don't worry about it, daddy and mister Saotome can stand guard for a while," she said, then added with a wink, "besides, if you are inside with Kasumi and me, you will be able to protect us just fine." She knew he would have to drop his act around Kasumi in a combat situation. She kind of hoped it would happen, if for no other reason than to show Kasumi that it was an act. Maybe her older sister would take the initiative then and ask _him_ out.

She led him to the dining table and sat him down where daddy usually sat. Since he was an honored guest, she didn't feel bad about it at all. "Just relax, Doctor. Kasumi will be in soon with breakfast." She said as she sat down at her usual spot at the table. He nodded politely to her. She could tell he wanted to tell her about what had happened last night, but was holding back until they were alone.

Kasumi bustled into the room a moment later carrying several trays of food. Doctor Tofu immediately leaped up and ran to help her, doing his usual goofy act. She was pretty sure Kasumi knew it was an act, but Kasumi never let on. She watched them together as he helped her put the food on the table with his hands shaking nervously, but still miraculously never spilling anything and never letting a drop of food off any of the trays. Kasumi's smile lit up the room when he was in it. Her eyes stayed on him, and real warmth entered her voice when she spoke to him. Not the false maternal warmth she put into her voice when she tried to stand in for their mother for herself and Akane, but real warmth for a man she obviously had feelings for. It was sweet.

The rest of the family trickled down to the table shortly after that. Daddy and mister Saotome came down together, talking earnestly about their plans for repairing the house and what to do about the Amazons. Ranma came down next and sat in his usual space. He smiled nervously at her, and ... was that guilt on his face? He didn't meet her eyes when she tried to make eye contact. She grew a bit cold with fear at that sign. _It's happening already. Akane's fighting for him_. She thought sadly.

Akane entered the room a moment later, smiling radiantly. Ranma had obviously asked her out and she had obviously accepted. She watched her younger sister take her usual spot at the table, next to Ranma. She had eyes for only him. She wasn't openly staring at him, but she kept sneaking glances at him. Even with the bruise over her eye, she looked beautiful as she looked at Ranma and glowed with happiness.

The fear tried to grow in her, but she beat it down harshly. She still had a chance. She wasn't going to give up the fight before it even began. She forced herself to plaster a smile on her face and focused on eating. She looked up occasionally and watched Ranma, Akane, and even Doctor Tofu and Kasumi. Kasumi was doing her best to try to pretend that she wasn't giving the Doctor more attention than she gave the rest of the family. Doctor Tofu was eating and keeping his eyes down, trying to eat without looking at Kasumi. Ranma was keeping his head down as well; he seemed to be afraid to look up at her, or Akane. And Akane ... Akane was doing her best to pretend that she wasn't glowing with joy that Ranma had asked her out. She kept sneaking glances at him, and smiling softly to herself. She was actually pretty good at hiding it, but not from her; she knew all of Akane's tricks.

After Ranma finished eating, Akane stood up and put her hand on his shoulder and said eagerly, although she tried to mask it with impatience. "C'mon Ranma, let's get going."

"Okay, how long will it take you to get ready?" He asked as he nodded and stood up.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe a half hour or so." She said cheerfully.

He blinked in surprise at her. "Geez Akane, why so long?"

Akane's smile slipped and a hard glint entered her eyes as she replied with a smile still on her face but with an edge in her voice. "What are you trying to say, Ranma."

Nabiki couldn't help herself, she smiled at that. They were falling into their old pattern. She watched them bicker out of the room and thought, _they just can't seem to help themselves, can they?_ Ranma paused for half a second and looked back at her for just a moment with wide eyes, and she winked at him. _Yes, I still have a chance_.

She stood up from the table after they left and caught Doctor Tofu's eye. He nodded and stood up as well. Kasumi made noises to feed him more, but she put her hand on Kasumi's shoulder silently asking her to wait a bit and led the Doctor out of the room before Kasumi could protest more. They walked together silently and headed out of the house and into the dojo. She shut the door behind her and went and sat down in the middle of the floor, and patted the floor next to her.

She knew that in the dojo and away from Kasumi, he would be free to be himself. Oh, he wouldn't drop his act, but he wouldn't act goofy either. He smiled and stood across from her for a moment, then crouched down lightly on the balls of his feet. She wasn't surprised that he didn't want to sit down. Even now, she was sure that he wanted to stay ready to spring into combat if needed.

She smiled at him. Aside from Ranma recently, Doctor Tofu was the only person whom she had ever just been herself with. He'd known her when she was a little girl. He had helped raise her and her sisters, and he had stepped in and been the rock she needed after mom had died and daddy had fallen apart.

That didn't mean that she was always dead serious with him, of course. She liked to tease and play with people, that was just who she was. She was only serious when she had to be. He just crouched across from her and smiled, forcing her to speak first. It was kind of a ritual with them. Unless she had been in danger, Tofu had always made her say what was on her mind, and to ask for help before he would help. He didn't just step in and try to solve her problems for her without being asked. That was one of the things she loved about him. So, she took a deep steadying breath and began. "So, what happened last night?"

He looked down and a brief flash of shame crossed his face before he looked back up at her as he spoke. "They hit faster than I thought they would."

"Who was it?"

"Shampoo and Mousse."

"So, he distracted you while she hit the house?"

"Yes, basically. Sorry about that. As soon as I realized what they were doing I rushed to the house and pulled her out."

"Did they hurt you?" She asked angrily.

He looked at her and blinked in surprise before he shook his head softly and smiled. Nabiki smiled back, he was so modest.

"Did you hurt them?" She asked hopefully.

He looked at her reproachfully for a moment before he answered. "Of course not, Nabiki. I'm a Doctor. I took an oath to do no harm."

"Of course, of course." She said with a hand wave, then added, "did you at least make it difficult for them to attack again for a while?"

He smiled faintly and nodded. "I triggered a pressure point in the young man which will take about five to eight days to wear off. He won't be able to walk until it does."

She raised her eyebrows at that, it was unlike him to use such a strong technique on a weaker opponent.

He shrugged as he explained. "I was worried about Shampoo attacking the house. I didn't know where you or Akane were in the house, and she had broken through to your room. I had to neutralize her as fast as possible."

She smiled softly at him. "You did great, thank you."

He looked at her with a melancholy grimace that spoke volumes about his opinion of how he had done last night.

She looked over at the door and towards the front of the house briefly before looking back to Doctor Tofu. She was wondering if Ranma had left on his date with Akane yet. She saw the Doctor notice, but he didn't say anything. So she asked another question. "If you put Mousse out of action in their first attack, did the old lady come for the second one?"

He nodded. She could tell he was being serious, but he still didn't drop his mask with the little half-smile he almost always wore.

She smiled with respect at hearing that he had faced the old woman. Ranma had such trouble with her and the old lecher, they both outclassed him, at least for now. She had to ask. "Did you fight her?"

He shook his head no.

"So, you only fought Shampoo again?"

"Yes."

"Did you disable her too?"

"No, there was no immediate threat to anyone, so I just stood in her path and prevented her from going any further. Her grandmother was watching her fight me, so I didn't want to tip off the style I was using, or what I knew, so I kept it simple. I did tap a couple of points on her wrists though, her arms should be feeling a little heavy today."

"So, if you didn't fight the old lady, and you didn't disable Shampoo, how did you end the fight?"

"I didn't. Shampoo just stopped trying to get past me after a minute or so, jumped back to stand next to her grandmother, and then they both just turned and walked away without a word."

"You know that isn't _actually_ her grandmother, don't you? She's just one of her tribe's elders."

"Of course." He said with a smile.

"Do you think you can take the old lady in a fight if she's being serious?"

He nodded.

"Do you think you could take her and Shampoo together?" She asked, worried.

He blinked at her and then shrugged. "I don't know, possibly. It would depend on what the fight was about, and what was at stake. I would rather not have to split my focus if I had to get into it with the grandmother, though. She's ... formidable." He said simply as he put a hand behind his head in embarrassment.

"All right, well, it sounds like we need to put plans thirty eight and nine into action now as well." She said seriously as she changed the topic.

"I knew you would say that." He said with a smile.

She smiled back with a glint of mischief in her eye. "And I also think you should put plan alpha into effect as well, as soon as possible."

He looked at her blankly and blinked with surprise. "I ... I don't remember that one..."

"That's because I just came up with it." She said with a grin. 

"Oh, well, what is it?" He asked with a patient smile.

"It's simple, you need to get started with Kasumi. Ask her out before she gets bored and starts hitting the bars looking for sailors."

He actually lost his balance for a minute and had to catch himself by moving a foot forward. Once he stabilized himself, he asked in a strangled voice, "w-what?!" She smiled at him sweetly, and he scowled at her as he realized she was teasing him. He narrowed his eyes and hissed. "Oh, low blow, Nabiki. I'll have to pay you back for that one."

She smiled and stuck her tongue out at him.

"Speaking of getting oneself into gear ... what's going on with you and Ranma?" He asked kindly.

She had known this was coming. She knew he was really asking, and not trying to get her back yet. That wasn't his style. She hugged her knees to her chest and didn't say anything at first. After a moment she decided to try to get away with not getting into the subject. "Nothing, I've just been teasing him lately." _No way he'll buy that_. She thought grimly.

"Nabiki..." He said in disbelief.

 _Knew it_. She tried again with a bit more of the truth. "All right, well, the short version is, Akane told Ranma she was breaking their engagement because she was mad at him, and gave him to me. I accepted." She looked down after she said it and blushed.

"Are you just playing with him ... or, do you have feelings for him?" He asked kindly.

"Y-yes." She said carefully. She didn't like to lie to him, so she generally didn't, but she didn't want to tell him everything, either.

"Yes ... what?" He pressed her.

Damn he was good. Most people wouldn't have picked up that she could have been answering either question he'd asked, or both of them. "Both," she answered softly with a small smile, "I do like playing with him, but yes, I do have ... feelings for him."

"Oh, Nabiki, I'm so happy for you." He said warmly as he reached over and put his hand over her hands as she continued to clutch her knees to her chest.

She nodded briskly, not trusting her voice at the moment.

"So ... if he's engaged to you now ... what was going on with him and Akane earlier?" He asked with genuine confusion.

"M-My idea..." she said in a shaky voice. She took a deep breath, then looked up and said in a more controlled tone, "I ... I didn't want to keep the engagement, unless it was for real ... you know? I didn't want him to just treat me like he has been treating Akane, like it wasn't real. So ... I made him promise me to make a choice at the end of a week ... and to end things with everyone else." She whispered.

"Oh ... Nabiki ... " he said quietly as he broke his stance and came to sit next to her. "Are your feelings for him that strong?" He asked softly.

She nodded fiercely, again not trusting her voice.

"Does he know?"

She shook her head slowly, then stopped and nodded once. "Well, yes and no I guess. I don't think he knows just how serious, but he knows I have feelings for him." She said in a shaky voice as she fought the urge to cry. _Why the hell do I want to cry all the time now? What the hell is the matter with me?!_ _Pull yourself together, girl!_ She berated herself.

"So ... why was it your idea for him to be going out with Akane?" He asked.

"I ... it's just ... Akane only gave him up because she was throwing a temper tantrum, you know? She didn't really mean it. Even though I told her when she did it that I would keep him, and even though I gave her a few chances to take him back and she still wouldn't take him back ... I ... I don't want her to suffer. She's suffered enough." She said hesitantly. She only told Doctor Tofu these things. She felt incredibly vulnerable when she did, but he was the only one she trusted with this kind of thing.

"But ... Nabiki ... aren't _you_ suffering?" He asked carefully.

She looked over at him quickly as her breath caught and a lump formed in her throat. She shook her head emphatically and looked away again before she answered. "I-I'm all right. I'm strong. I can be patient and wait a week for him to make a choice." She said with no real conviction in her voice.

He didn't say anything in response to that, just sat in silence with her and put his arm around her. She leaned in to him and successfully fought the tears away. She breathed deeply in through her nose and out through her mouth like daddy had taught her all those years ago. When she had herself under control, she let out a sigh and let her legs go and stretched them out in front of her.

Doctor Tofu got up and crouched in front of her again. He looked at her and waited for her to look up. "You sure you're all right?" He asked when she finally gave in and looked up.

She nodded hesitantly. "So ... any advice?" She asked hopefully.

He shook his head slowly. "I have _no right_ to give _anyone_ advice about their love life, Nabiki. If I did give you advice, I'd probably just make things worse for everyone. You are way smarter than I am on that subject." He said morosely.

She looked up at him sadly and her heart went out to him. She knew that he loved Kasumi, but for whatever reason, he couldn't seem to make himself act on those feelings. Not that she judged him, as she was finding out, acting on one's feelings was ... complicated.

She smiled at him and said as she stood up. "Well, thank you again for protecting us. You should rest and let my daddy and Ranma's watch the house for a while. We'll need you out there again tonight."

He mirrored her and stood up as well. "That should be all right. I can rest downstairs in the dining room. If you stay near that room, I will be able to respond if something happens."

They walked back towards the house together in unspoken agreement. "That should be fine. I just need to sit and think for a while anyway, I can do that anywhere. Are you going to be able to sleep all right in there? I can bring you a futon."

"Oh, I won't sleep. I'll just do a little meditation." He said with a serene smile.

She looked over at him in disbelief, but let it go. _Who am I to question him on how he handles all this?_ She thought to herself as she again considered restarting her own training in the Art. If Doctor Tofu knew some way to use meditation to substitute for sleep that could come in _really_ handy sometimes.

As fortune would have it, or misfortune â€” depending on one's point of view â€” she managed to settle down back in the dining room just as Ranma and Akane ran by towards the front door to go on their date. Akane yelled back happily to Ranma as he chased after her. "C'mon, Ranma, I want to see theâ€”" and then they were out of earshot as well as eyesight as they turned the corner and were gone.

She pulled her knees up to her chest again and closed her eyes tightly. She knew Doctor Tofu was watching her sympathetically. She wanted to show him how strong she was, so after a moment of self pity, she forced her legs back down, and opened her eyes. They were watery, but she wasn't crying. There was a lump in her throat, but she ignored it and yanked her note book off the table. She had dozens of them lying around the house.

She buried herself into making detailed plans for what to do about Kodachi, Ukyo, the crazy Amazons, and ... Akane. For the page she had marked for Akane with just a small ã‚ ... she just drew a sad face. She had ... absolutely no plan for dealing with Akane.

Mostly that was because she didn't really believe Ranma would pick her over Akane if Akane in any way fought for him. The smaller reason was that she honestly had no idea what she would do to help Ranma let Akane down easily if, by some miracle, he did pick her over Akane. She knew she had promised to help him do that, and she would ... _I will_ , she corrected herself ... _if â€” if I have to. But, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. If ... if I come to it._ She corrected herself again sadly.

She set the notebook down and stared out into their yard and watched the koi pond as the sun climbed in the sky and waited for Ranma to come back. She forced herself to go over the plans she had decided on for dealing with the Amazons. She wanted to have them ready to go to present to Ranma when he got home. Even if she hadn't made the promises with him, she still would have helped him with them â€” they were too dangerous to leave running around town for any longer. They needed to be dealt with.

She shivered and thought with no small amount of dread, _I just hope ... I am strong enough for this._


	17. Mother's Legacy

_Well, this is a great position you have gotten yourself into. Now what? Are you going to encourage him to try out a honeymoon with Ukyo? Oh ... just stop it ... quit feeling sorry for yourself. If I didn't do this, then I could have ended up as just another fiancée ... and I can't do that. I can't. So ... I just have to wait ... and.._. Nabiki couldn't bear to finish the thought.

She was sitting in the dining room and clutching her knees to her chest as she rocked back and forth softly as she tried to pass the time while shedding her nervous energy. It wasn't working. Doctor Tofu was sitting in a corner of the room quietly meditating after spending the night guarding their family. Kasumi was bustling around the house doing her usual thing. Daddy and mister Saotome were patrolling the house, on guard for more attacks, and Ranma ... Ranma was out with Akane. Akane ... Ranma's first fiancée, _and the one he's going to pick_. She thought sadly.

She stood up and started pacing back and forth on the deck in front of the dining room. She saw out of the corner of her eye Doctor Tofu crack an eye open and gaze at her for a moment, before he took a deep breath and resettled into his meditation as he closed it again. She felt bad for disturbing him, but she couldn't just sit still while Ranma was out on a real date with Akane.

_If she fights for him ... if she puts aside her pride and her embarrassment and is honest with him ... hell, if she is just mostly nice to him and they don't get into too many fights ... he's going to pick her_. She rambled to herself silently as she stared at nothing and walked back and forth. _I have to stop this, I'm going to drive myself crazy. Just because I want Ranma to choose me, doesn't mean I want to deny Akane her fair chance. I just ... need to not dwell on it or I'll go crazy_. She chided herself.

She stopped pacing and walked out into the yard and stood next to the koi pond. She looked at her reflection in the surface of the pond and smiled tightly to cover up the anxiety on her face. That done, she took another look and thought she looked all right. She was still clearly a little stressed out, but there were no visible signs of sadness or anxiety. _See, my masks work fine ... except with Ranma_ , she thought with a mixture of pride and distress. She was proud that he cared enough to learn how to read her through her masks, but it distressed her that he could. She was having to learn on her feet how to handle that. _I guess that's fair though, he is having to learn how to be in a real relationship in only a week, after all_. She thought with a small smile.

She looked up at the sky and took a deep breath and tried to settle her nerves. When she looked back down, daddy's reflection was staring back at her from the pond. He was standing behind her and smiling kindly at her. She cemented her mask in place, then turned around and smiled at him. She didn't want him to know exactly what was going on.

He just looked at her for a moment with those large eyes of his. She knew that every time he looked at her and her sisters, he was seeing mom in all of them. "How are you feeling today, Nabiki?" He finally asked after staring into her eyes for a moment.

She smiled in response. "I'm fine daddy. How about you, did you sleep well?"

He shook his head and stiffened his spine proudly. "It is a father's duty to watch over his daughter when she is injured, don't worry about me, Nabiki."

She rolled her eyes in her head but smiled outwardly. She knew what he did and said was out of a genuine desire for what he thought was best for them. She had a hard time holding that against him, even if he was misguided ... frequently.

She focused on him as she stepped next to him and laced her arm through his as she pulled him to start walking. She needed to keep moving, and he obviously wanted to talk. They walked in silence for a while as they circled the edge of their land by walking along the wall. After a minute, he cleared his through and asked her the question she had been hoping he wouldn't. "So ... you're engaged to Ranma now?" He added after a moment's pause, another observation. "It was ... unusual for you to be defending him, like you were last night."

She knew he knew that Akane had changed the engagement. Akane wasn't exactly subtle on that point. It had also been a topic of family discussion for the past few days. He was just trying to get her to talk. She just ... didn't like to talk about these sorts of things with him. It wasn't that she didn't trust him, it was more that she felt he had his own problems to deal with. She answered with a cheerful smile plastered on her face. "Yup, me and Ranma, we're an item now."

He stopped walking and looked at her again seriously. "Nabiki ... I know how much you like to joke and play games, so I have to ask, because this is serious. Do you intend to keep the engagement and go through with it?"

She just stared at him with her mouth agape. _How do I answer that_? She thought in a mild panic. She finally settled on a half truth. "If Ranma doesn't break the engagement, I promise, I will marry him." She said sincerely as she looked at him calmly.

He didn't look convinced. He stared at her with narrowing eyes and prompted her to expand her answer. "And ... if you marry him ... will you help him carry on our school of Anything Goes Martial Arts? Will you keep the school open, and not sell it?" He demanded.

Oh ... so he'd heard about that? She'd told Kasumi that as a joke a while ago. She smiled and nodded as she answered. "Yes, daddy, we will keep the school open, we wouldn't sell it. I promise."

He looked mollified at that, and began walking with her again, arm in arm in silence for a while. After another few minutes he asked as he walked another hard question. "Are you sure this is what you want, Nabiki? Are you happy with this? Despite what she says, I know Akane has feelings for the boy. I know she'd eventually take him back, even though she handed him off to you. You don't need to do this if you don't want to." He said quietly.

She smiled with a mischievous gleam in her eye as she couldn't help herself from teasing him a bit. "Oh, no, we have an agreement, he only goes up the chain. Now that Akane's passed on him, if I pass, he goes to Kasumi." She knew it was mean, but it was damn funny. Daddy stopped walking again, and twitched as he looked at her with wide eyes.

"K-Kasumi? Really? She agreed to take him?" He asked in shock.

She nodded her head emphatically. "Oh yes, as a matter of fact she said she had dibs next on his, how did she put it? Oh yeah, 'cute little booty,' she said she had dibs on that next." Inside she was dying laughing, but outside she froze her best poker face on as daddy wibbled at that and his eyes darted towards the house. She was sure he was frantic to run to Kasumi and demand to know what had possessed her to say such a thing.

"K-Kasumi ... s-said t-that?" He gasped.

"Oh sure, she thinks she can teach him a thing or two about being a _real man_. Said she's eager to, 'put him through his paces,' I think was how she phrased it."

His eyes started to narrow as he caught on.

She piled on quickly before he called her on it. "Yeah, she figures she can have him running to the snap of her fingers in about two weeks, depending on how much she has to _discipline him_." She said as she allowed a huge grin to crack the poker face she had been wearing.

"Nabikiiiiii--" was all he could say as she caved his mind in with that idea about his beloved eldest daughter.

She lost all control at that point and doubled over laughing. She laughed so hard that she actually started crying a little bit, and her abs hurt. She put a hand on his chest and leaned against him as she tried to stay upright while she laughed. She could feel him tense up indignantly while she laughed, and then eventually relax as she poured out some of the stress she had been carrying into her laughter. It felt good to laugh.

She finally lifted her head up as she got herself under control and looked up into his face. He was looking down at her with a mixture of exasperation and impatience. But there was also love on his face. She allowed herself to fall in towards him and hugged him. He hugged her back strongly. She could tell that he knew she was leaving things unsaid.

After a while, he held her back from him at arm's length and looked at her with a mixture of pride and confusion. "I have never understood you very well, Nabiki. You know?"

She nodded.

"You've always been my clever one. You're just like your mother with that. I never understood her either." He said wistfully.

"Oh ... daddy..." She said softly. She hated it when he brought up mom, she always ended up crying.

"Kasumi has always been my hard-working, loyal and soft-spoken one. Akane has always been my fierce, honest fighter. And you, ... you Nabiki, more than any of your sisters, have always been my quick-witted, clever girl who always has an idea, always has something to say, never gives up, and speaks her mind. You're so much like your mother it's like she's still here sometimes." He said softly as he looked into her eyes.

She nodded her head again, fighting back the tears, but she could feel them winning the war to get out.

"Kasumi looks more like her, and Akane fights like her ... oh, Nabiki, if you could have ever seen her fight. I am not sure even the Master could have beaten her when she was really serious. She was deadly grace and cool as ice when she fought..." he trailed away for a moment, then came back to himself and refocused on her and said, "... but she only trained in the Art privately and rarely after you girls were born. She had a new mission in life after that. You all were her life. All of you. I thought she had given her entire heart to Kasumi when she was born. Then you were born, and I saw her double what she gave. Then Akane was born and I saw it increase to triple. She loved you all more than words can ever describe, you know?"

Nabiki did know. She nodded her head roughly, not trusting her voice, as the tears started. D _amn it, daddy, why do you always have to be so sincere, especially about mom?_ She griped to herself as he continued.

"She was a guide to Kasumi who tried to mirror everything your mother showed her. She was an unattainable goal to Akane, who idolized her. She was my wife and companion. And to you, Nabiki, to you, she was your friend and constant challenge. Do you remember, do you remember the word games you two used to play? Do you remember the pun wars and the constant attempts to trick each other into slipping up to say something?"

"I-I remember, daddy." She said as she let the tears fall, and buried her head in his chest. _God damn it! Every single time we talk about mom, it's like this. I miss her so much!_ She thought miserably to herself as she cried.

He was right, he had been Akane's sparring partner, but mom had been hers. With mom, she had learned the benefits of a sharp mind, a ready word, and being quick on one's feet. She had watched mom disarm people in public with a simple turn of phrase or an offer of an exchange of favors. Mom could always take a quick look at a situation and figure out what people's motivations were, and how best to exploit them. She'd seen her turn strangers into friends, and rude people into bewildered people she got the better of with a faster wit and a sharp eye for details. Nabiki had never been worried about anything when she had been out with mom. She'd known that mom knew the Art as well, but she'd never displayed a need for it. Nabiki had loved that about her.

After a minute passed and she allowed herself to embrace her grief at the loss of her mother, she finally pulled herself back to her center and forced herself to stop crying. A moment later daddy held her out at arm's length again and looked at her seriously. "Do you know why I made the promise I made with Ranma's father to marry one of you?" He asked.

She shook her head.

"I made it, because your mother made me swear to her that I would ensure that the Anything Goes Style survived. She had me promise to find a suitable husband for one of you girls, who would be willing to help carry on the school and ensure her legacy and mine."

"M-mom did?" She asked in disbelief.

He nodded emphatically. "Oh yes. She loved the Art as well. That was one of the reasons I married her, you know. She was my equal in every way. It also didn't hurt that she could cook extremely well." He added with a small smile.

"But ... what if Ranma hadn't turned out to be a _suitable husband_?"

"In that case ... I would have had to break my promise to his father, and keep looking. My promise to your mother takes priority over my promise to him." He said with steel in his voice.

She blinked in surprise. She'd had no idea.

"So, I ask you again, Nabiki, if you marry Ranma ... will you help him carry on our school of Anything Goes Martial Arts and keep the school open?"

She looked him in the eyes and firmly nodded her head. "Yes, I will, I promise," she added as a side note, "of course, Ranma would have to be in charge of teaching." She smiled weakly at him.

He nodded as he put her hand back in the crook of his arm and started walking with her again while he patted her hand. "Of course, of course, at least ... at first." He looked sideways at her and smiled with encouragement. "It's never too late, you know, you could resume your training."

She looked up at him and winked. "Let's cross one bridge at a time, all right, daddy? If we get married, we can talk about that."

"If? Are you saying you don't really want to?" He asked her carefully.

"What I'm saying is, Akane gave him up to me because of a temper tantrum, and she may take him back again if she decides she wants him again."

"What about ... what you want?" He asked as they stopped by the koi pond, back where they'd started. He pulled her around to stand in front of him again, and held on to both her hands as he tried to look into her eyes to figure her out.

_Good luck, daddy. I don't think I have myself figured out_. She thought with a surprising amount of bitterness. She answered his question sadly. "What I want ... isn't as important as other things."

"So ... what is it that you mean?" He asked.

"Just because I say something, doesn't mean that I mean it. And just because I feel something, doesn't mean I say it, daddy. But to set your mind at ease, if Akane doesn't marry Ranma, I promise you, if he is willing, I'll marry him." She said quietly.

"Can you be happy with Ranma?" He asked with concern.

She nodded earnestly without meeting his eyes.

He teared up at that and nodded, accepting that was the best he was going to get from her in the way of an agreement about Ranma. "Nabiki..." he whispered as he squeezed her hands softly, "...you're a good girl, Nabiki. Your mother would be proud of you."

She didn't know if that was totally true, but she liked hearing it anyway. A moment later he let her go. "Well now, I had best get back to guarding the house." He said gruffly.

She nodded and waved at him as he marched away. He was such a strange mixture of strength and weakness these days.

She stood and looked at herself in the koi pond for a while longer, then looked at her watch, and realized that it was nearing the time that Ranma had planned to be home, so he could go with her to confront Shampoo. She turned around and looked into the dining room, and considered going back there to wait, but decided she needed to still be on her feet and doing something, so she wandered slowly towards the front gates.

_I don't want to stand by the front door waiting for him to get home, though. That looks ... needy at the very least, if not desperate_. She thought to herself as she approached the gates, and then walked past them. She decided to pace inside the wall and listen for them coming home. She wouldn't rush out to greet them, of course. She didn't want to see them kissing or something. _Heh, fat chance. Even if Akane wanted to, she could never do it out on the street where anyone could see her_. She thought.

She looked at her watch and hoped she didn't have to wait too much longer, they really did need to be going soon to track down Shampoo and talk to her. She didn't want to be out at night doing that. It was--

She paused, and listened, she could have sworn she heard someone yell something, she listened again and heard, "--he --ell am I no--?!"

Was that .... Ryoga? She raised an eyebrow as she turned around and headed back towards the gates, short circuiting her pacing. She stepped outside the gates, and sure enough, saw Ryoga standing in the middle of the street, shaking his fist to the sky while holding a large map in his hands that looked an awful lot like a map of Australia.

She smiled and walked over to him. At the very least he could distract her for a few moments. And every moment she spent _not_ agonizing over Ranma's date with Akane was a moment she valued. She walked closer to him as he yelled again while looking down at his map then up again repeatedly with a confused expression on his face. "Where the hell am I now?!" He yelled again to nobody.

She leaned in right behind him and yelled as loud as she could, "Tokyo!"

She grinned when he jumped at least two meters straight up in surprise, dropping his map in the process. He landed twisted around so he was nose-to-nose with her and glared.

She ignored him as she picked up the map and looked at it. _Yup, it's Australia all right. I mean, I get not having a good sense of direction, but he can_ read _... can't he?_ She thought with a smirk as she straightened up. He was still glaring at her, but she didn't care. She knew that unless she provoked him, a lot, he wouldn't do anything to her. Both because he liked to pretend he lived by a code of honor, and also because he had a bad case of puppy-love for Akane, and Akane didn't exactly tolerate people who bullied her family.

"You didn't have to sneak up on me." He growled at her.

"I didn't think I needed to announce my presence to a man who fights with Ranma regularly. I thought you were as good as he was." She replied sweetly as she handed him the map.

"I'm _better_ than he is!" He yelled.

She shrugged. "Of course you are. Isn't that what I just said?"

He looked at her blankly as he tried to process that. It worked every time. Leading statements, half-truths and sideways compliments almost always allowed her to take the balance of people like Ryoga. She didn't really like people like Ryoga. They were usually loud and brash, quick to anger and slow to think and somewhat cruel. The aspect of Ryoga that made her dislike him the most, though, was his insistence to blame his misfortunes on everyone but himself -- usually with Ranma receiving the majority of the blame.

Sure, Ranma could be loud and brash as well, and he didn't always think when he should, and he allowed people to goad him into things by making him angry. But, aside from the whole fiancée thing and his Chinese water curse -- both of which were legitimately not his fault -- she rarely saw him blame others for things that he was responsible for; and he was never cruel. She'd also seen Ranma think things through and plan when he needed to, usually when he was outclassed in a fight by the old ghoul or the old lecher. When push came to shove, she had seen Ranma do the honorable thing time and time again, Ryoga she was less sure about. There was something ... off ... about him that she couldn't put her finger on.

She didn't like Ryoga chasing after Akane, but as long as Akane didn't accept him, she felt no need to intervene. Akane could do much better than him, and she did _not_ want him as a brother-in-law. But at the moment, it wasn't anything to worry about. After a moment passed and he didn't say anything further, she sighed and tried to jump-start his brain. "So ... where are you trying to go?"

He blushed and looked away from her as he replied. "Don't worry about it, I have everything under control."

She smiled and nodded while she put on her friendly mask. "Sure, sure no doubt ... but, if you wanted some directions, maybe I could ..." she trailed off, catching his interest.

He looked back at her with eyes that spoke volumes about his navigational woes. _Got you now_. She thought happily. Now that she had him hooked, all she had to do was reel him in. He finally replied after an uncomfortable pause. "Well if you must know, I am on my way to mount HyÅno. There's a shrine there that is supposed to make you stronger if you complete their ritual.

Nabiki blinked at that. Well, she supposed he wasn't too far off course, mount HyÅno was in the HyÅgo Prefecture, over six hundred kilometers way. But hey, he was still on Honshu which was the right part of Japan at least. She would _love_ to know why he thought a map of Australia was Japan, but she knew if she brought it up and embarrassed him, that he'd just storm off. She didn't want him to do that yet, he was a great distraction.

She supposed he could take a flight there, and get there in about an hour or so, but she knew he'd never go for that. She doubted he had the money to fly there, and even if he did, he would probably think it was skipping out on his training to not walk there and suffer on the way. She figured with his fitness level and ability to run for long distances, he could probably do about eighty kilometers a day. So, she pointed to the West as she gave him the directions. "You want to go about six hundred kilometers that way. If you head away from the sun in the morning, and towards it in the evening, and you go all day, you should be in the right area in a little over a week.

"Of-of course, I knew that." He said hastily as he shoved the map in his pocket and immediately started heading East, the exact opposite direction of where she was still pointing.

"Ryoga, look where I'm pointing." She said as she rolled her eyes.

He looked up and nodded with an embarrassed jerk of his head. "Oh yeah, sorry." He changed direction, and started walking North.

She seriously thought about letting him go, but she didn't have anything else to do while she tried to avoid agonizing over what Ranma and Akane might be up to, so she called after him again. "Wait!"

He froze and she walked over to him. "I can make sure you leave here heading in the right direction, if you just wait a moment, all right?" She said, bemused.

He slumped a little bit, realizing that he had been heading off in the wrong direction again, and nodded.

"So ... after you get stronger at this shrine you want to visit, then what?" She asked as she walked around to face him. She didn't really care, but information like that about people like Ryoga always came in handy.

He looked up at her with a determined scowl on his face. "I will go back to training on mount Odake to defeat Ranma!"

The boy certainly had a one track mind, that was for sure. She was sure that he had defeated Ranma rather recently when he'd gotten super-strong from that strange drawing on his stomach. And he could have easily beaten Ranma when the old lecher had made Ranma weak with that Moxibustion thing. Of course, neither one of those cases could be described as beating Ranma in a fair fight, but he didn't seem to be all that concerned about that, usually.

"And ... once you defeat Ranma ... then what?" She asked, genuinely curious now.

He stammered for a bit as he looked at the ground as he replied. "T-then I can ask A-A-A ... to ... "

Well, it was no surprise that he was still hung up on her sister. She couldn't really blame him, she supposed. Akane was gorgeous when she wanted to be, and she was very sweet and kind, again, when she wanted to be. She wasn't sure what had gotten him infatuated with her in the first place, but it didn't really matter. She decided to poke him a bit more before sending him packing. "You can ask ... what ... all the girls in your high school out?" She asked with a playful grin on her face. She could feel the heat of his embarrassment even before he answered.

"What?! No! No no no no no!" He said practically tripping over himself in embarrassment. "No! There's only ... only one girl for me!" He clenched his fist when he said that, and looked up into the sky like he was making a covenant with the gods or something.

_Wow, melodramatic much_? She thought as she cringed inwardly. Having this guy hanging around all the time would be exhausting. But, he'd left her an opening, and she couldn't not take it, so she smiled sweetly at him and cupped her face in her hands as she put on an excited, breathy voice and teased him. "Really? You mean it? I'm the only girl for you? Oh, Ryoga, I had no idea!"

She was sure that if he could have actually died of embarrassment, he would have right then and there. He flushed bright red, and took a step back from her as he waved his arms back and forth in a panic. "No! N-not you!"

She put on a hurt face and took a step towards him. "But why not? Is it someone else? Are you in love with my sister? Is that it? You are, aren't you?!" She said accusatively.

"H-how did y-you ..." He asked in a shaking voice as he continued to step away from her.

She clasped her hands together behind her back and leaned forward with a smile on her face. "Oh, come on now, be honest, I've seen the way you look at her, anyone who sees you look at her knows that ... " she paused to savor the moment, as he cringed. She delivered the knock-out a heartbeat later. "You're in love with Kasumi!" She said sweetly and batted her eyelashes at him.

He actually fell over at that and yelled twitching from the ground as he lay on his backpack like an overturned turtle. "W-what?!"

She grinned down at him as she moved to stand over him. "Just kidding." She said as she stuck her tongue out at him happily.

"Why you!" He growled at her as he jumped to his feet. Then he paused and looked over her shoulder and said in a weak voice, "...Akane?"

"Nabiki, my name is Nabiki!" She said in irritation as he stepped past her and started walking back towards the house.

He had his eyes fixed down the road as he muttered Akane's name again.

She turned around and could see that all the way down the road two people were walking into view. She couldn't make out who they were yet, but she trusted that his obsession with her sister would allow him to recognize her at a distance.

_About time they got home_. She thought in irritation as she noted the low position of the sun in the sky. Then she put a mental brake on her emotions and pushed them down out of range of her mouth. She needed to _not_ act like a crazy-jealous person right now. She walked slowly behind Ryoga to watch them come home. With Ryoga front-and-center, their attention would be on him, so she would be able to read their body language and try to gauge how their date had gone.

As they walked closer, she realized that Akane had an arm wrapped around Ranma. That made her blood pressure spike. _Really, public displays of affection? Already?_ She thought in surprise. _What happened to her embarrassment about that?_ She thought with some resentment. She walked closer to Ryoga as she tried to stay behind him and observe. She could tell that Ryoga was already getting ready to attack Ranma, he was clenching and unclenching his hands into fists and his shoulders were heaving in anger as he sucked in air sharply. Not surprising, as Akane had her hands on Ranma. In Ryoga's warped little mind, she was sure that meant Ranma needed to die. She rolled her eyes inwardly as she continued to watch them get closer while Ryoga took off his backpack as he prepared to fight.

She realized a moment later that Akane was limping. _Oh! That makes much more sense!_ She thought as she realized that Akane must have gotten hurt somehow and Ranma was helping her limp home. They _were_ both smiling a bit though, that wasn't a good sign. _I wonder why he didn't just carry her home?_ She thought. Not that she minded of course. Those kinds of things were how he kept picking up suitors like Kodachi, after all.

As Ranma and Akane arrived at the gate, he had just enough time to notice Ryoga, and to make quick eye contact with her and widen his eyes in confusion which she shrugged in response to, before Ryoga shouted his challenge. "Ranma, what have you done to Akane?!"

Ranma glared at Ryoga and unwrapped Akane's arm from himself. Nabiki quickly stepped forward to support her sister, who hopped gingerly over to her and eagerly put her weight on her. As she held Akane up she watched Ranma square up with Ryoga. They he yelled back his own challenge. "Back off man, now isn't a good time!"

_Oh boy, here we go._ Nabiki thought as Akane leaned into her heavily.


	18. Never?

Nabiki backed away from Ryoga and Ranma as they squared off. Akane hobbled with her as Nabiki supported her sister's weight as best she could.

"I'm going to make you suffer for hurting Akane!" Ryoga yelled at Ranma.

Akane spoke up then and pleaded for sanity. "Wait! Ryoga, no! It wasn't Ranma--"

"Ranma, prepare to die!" Ryoga yelled as he leaped towards Ranma. Ranma easily danced out of the way of Ryoga's straight forward attack.

When they landed, Ranma yelled back to Ryoga. "Ah man, what is it with you?! Don't you got nothin' better to be doin'?"

Ryoga launched another leaping attack on Ranma. "Shut up! I don't want to hear your lies!" Ryoga yelled as he careened towards Ranma with his fist extended.

Ranma dodged again and his expression changed from annoyance to anger. "I ain't got time for this, I got things to do man, back off, I'm warning you!"

"Shut up! I'm going to punish you for hurting Akane!" Ryoga growled as he landed in a fighting stance and got ready to charge Ranma again.

Akane tried, once more, to get Ryoga to stop as she yelled while she waved at him, "Ryoga, no! Ranma didn't do anything to me."

Ryoga actually looked back at her at that and replied. "Oh, Akane, please don't cover for him, I ... I can't bear it!" He said to her softly.

Akane raised her hand again, trying to get his attention as she opened her mouth to protest, but he had already turned away from her again, so she closed her mouth and let her hand droop and said in a voice so soft that only Nabiki could hear it. "But ... Ranma ... would _never_ ... hurt me."

Nabiki knew that if Ryoga had heard that, he probably would have stopped. Of course, that would have meant Akane basically announcing her trust in Ranma to Ryoga, which was more or less like announcing her love for him. And, she was obviously still not ready to do that.

Even so, just hearing Akane say what she said, stabbed Nabiki through the gut with fear. All it would take for her to lose to Akane, would be for Akane to outright fight for him. _If she does ... it's all over_. She thought sadly as she looked sideways at her sister.

She could see Ranma shooting glances to both her and Akane, trying to figure out what to do as he dodged away from Ryoga. He wasn't having much trouble with him, but he had an appointment to keep with Nabiki. She could see him trying to make eye contact with Akane, but she was looking at the ground and lost in her own little world, probably agonizing over what to tell Ryoga. Then Ranma made eye contact with her, and she shrugged. She didn't care how he handled Ryoga. Ranma didn't have time to act on her encouragement though as Ryoga finally managed to land a punch on Rama that broke his eye contact with her, and sent him flying.

He popped back to his feet and went from looking mildly angry to very angry. His total attention was now back on the fight. "All right, now I'm mad," he yelled as he clenched his hands into fists so hard the knuckles popped. She was sure he was probably showing a battle aura. She couldn't see it though. She could feel it, however. It felt likes waves of heat were pouring off him. She was sure Ryoga was putting out a battle aura as well, because she could feel waves of cold coming from him. They had such different fighting styles and personalities.

Her attention was called back to Ryoga who wasn't at all intimidated by Ranma's anger. "That makes two of us!" He yelled as he drove a hard right punch at Ranma while stepping forward.

Ranma stepped back with a hard glint in his eye and blocked Ryoga's punch with his left hand in a clenched fist that he slipped to the outside of Ryoga's arm, that brought Ryoga inside his guard. As soon as his right foot touched down he braced and allowed the momentum of Ryoga's attack to carry him towards his right fist which Ranma was bringing up to punch to Ryoga's ribs. As soon as Ryoga rammed into Ranma's punch and stopped his charge with a heavy _oof,_ Ranma slipped his right hand up from Ryoga's ribs and checked Ryoga's arm that was still extended in a punch. He then slid his right hand down to Ryoga's still-extended wrist, and grabbed it roughly. Before Ryoga could react, he yanked him forward and took his balance as he drove a right roundhouse kick into Ryoga's gut. He landed lightly with his right leg and twisted so that he drove his right knee into Ryoga's left one as he stepped into Ryoga's stance and checked his legs to prevent him from kicking him, then he quickly pivoted as he drove his left knee into the back of Ryoga's left thigh, which drove Ryoga down to one knee, as he shot another punch out with his left hand to Ryoga's ribs at the same time. A moment later he let go of Ryoga's wrist and threw it at Ryoga in a swinging arc designed to keep him off balance as he backed away from him still in a fighting stance.

Nabiki couldn't help but be proud of how graceful Ranma was. He had flowed from movement to movement with a confident liquid rhythm that was impressive to see in action. She looked sideways at her sister, who was frowning in disapproval. Akane didn't approve of _bullying the weak_ ... even when the _weak_ were the ones starting the fights.

Ranma took another couple of steps back from Ryoga then again tried to get Ryoga to stop. "How 'bout it man, had enough? I told you, I ain't got time for this." He did smirk a little when he was done, though. She knew how much he loved to win, and it showed.

"Ranma ... that's enough!" Akane called out to him exasperated.

He looked up at that and protested. "Hey, say that to Ryoga! I didn't start thi--"

"Die, Ranma!" Ryoga yelled as he launched himself into another flurry of strikes while he pushed himself off the ground with his superior strength back to a fighting stance. Ranma danced away again, doing his usual defensive dodges, but he snapped out a few kicks or punches whenever Ryoga left an opening.

"H-hey, I said ... HEY! I said, that's ENOUGH!" Akane yelled, then she added, "leave each other alone!"

"I'm just ... defending myself ... Akane!" Ranma yelled back indignantly as he could in between blocks. Nabiki could feel her sister put her back up at that before she yelled back. "Just stop it, the both of you!"

"Tell him, not me!" Ranma yelled back as he slammed another kick into Ryoga's chest, knocking him back.

"Ryoga, stop, please!" Akane yelled. Nabiki looked at her sideways again. It was unusual for Akane to acknowledge that Ranma wasn't at fault for something.

Ryoga ignored her and launched yet another flurry of strikes at Ranma. Ranma dodged for a bit, then about when he would have to change course or run into one of the walls that lined the streets, he paused, and she could see him watching Ryoga's hands as he worked out the pattern and the timing. She concentrated and could see him line up his hips so that his left would be just to the right of Ryoga's left, as he slipped his right hand up as a parry to the outside of Ryoga's hand, and then stepped hard to the right of the next punch Ryoga threw, which was a left stepping punch.

Ranma threw up a left closed fist block to the outside of Ryoga's arm above the elbow, trapping Ryoga's ability to swing and counter, as his right foot pivoted. He stepped in towards Ryoga with his right hand as an open chop to Ryoga's carotid artery as he closed the distance between them with his left foot, dragging up and collapsing Ryoga's stance as he drove his left knee into the back of Ryoga's knee. He then pivoted his hips and kept his left side's momentum moving as he raised his right arm in a swing while he drove his left elbow into Ryoga's ribs. He immediately pivoted back from the right side and completed the swing with the right hand as he whipped a closed fist into Ryoga's kidney closest to him. He continued the momentum and brought the closed fist up to arrest Ryoga's spin as he fell into Ranma from the force of the blow and checked Ryoga's left tricep as he unwound with his hips and drove a devastating right kick downward into Ryoga's left calf muscle, which drove Ryoga to his knees, hard. Ranma then swept Ryoga's feet out from under him which dropped Ryoga hard to the ground and caused him to bang his head on the ground. Ranma stepped back to a high guard stance and just looked at him. He was obviously done with Ryoga's nonsense.

Ryoga just lay there dazed and muttering. "I'm sorry ... I failed you ... Akane," was all she heard him say, then he passed out.

Akane immediately rounded on Ranma. "You didn't have to do that to him, did you?" She asked in a disapproving tone.

He stared back at her in shock. "What was I supposed to do, just let him wail on me, Akane? I was just defendin' myself."

"You still didn't need to knock him out, though!" Akane countered.

Nabiki didn't understand Akane's logic. From everything she knew about Ranma's past fights with Ryoga, if anyone was more or less an equal to Ranma, it was Ryoga. That, and Ryoga had crazy-high endurance and stamina, so for Ranma to win a fight against him, he pretty much usually had to knock Ryoga out. Seemed logical to her. Additionally, in this case, it seemed more that the ground had knocked Ryoga out more than anything else.

Ranma was obviously getting agitated at Akane's defense of Ryoga. "Listen, I tried to be nice, but he kept attacking me!" Ranma retorted defensively.

Akane opened her mouth to continue arguing when a voice that Nabiki really didn't want to hear sounded from behind the wall behind Ranma. "Is true, husband is too too good warrior. He beat other boy, no problem."

Shampoo popped up from behind the wall to land lightly on the top of it and smiled at Ranma. Nabiki noticed with no small amount of satisfaction that Shampoo was letting her arms hang limply from her sides. _What's the matter, Shampoo, arms feeling a bit heavy today?_ She thought smugly.

Shampoo smiled down at Ranma. "Ranma, you date Shampoo?" She asked with her usual eagerness.

He darted his eyes to her for guidance. This scenario had not been in their plans. She opened her eyes wide to show she didn't know. Then, before anyone else could do or say anything, Doctor Tofu was abruptly there kneeling down next to Ryoga. One moment he hadn't been there, the next moment he was. Shampoo narrowed her eyes at him. Nabiki took note of that with great satisfaction. _Not so cocky anymore, are you?_ She thought.

Tofu bustled around doing his usual act as he fussed over Ryoga. She could tell he wasn't fooling Shampoo, though. She kept her eyes on him and she could tell that she was tensing her legs to leap from the wall. _Someone got a little lesson in humility last night, didn't she?_ Nabiki thought to herself happily.

As the Doctor worked on Ryoga he called out to Akane without looking back at her. "Akane, what did you do to your ankle?"

Her little sister tore her eyes off Ranma and answered in her usual hesitant way she used when speaking with Doctor Tofu. "O-oh, I just twisted it, D-Doctor, nothing to worry about."

He nodded as he picked Ryoga up with one hand and slung him over his shoulder as he started to walk back towards the house with him. "Akane, would you like to go inside with me so I can look at that ankle?" He paused right next to Akane and smiled at her in that disarming way he could.

Akane stuttered nervously in reply. "Well, I ... I was going to ... "

Doctor Tofu just cocked his head and looked at her and waited with that smile on his face. Akane looked at him and then back to Ranma and Shampoo, then back to Doctor Tofu again, then nodded hesitantly. "All right."

Doctor Tofu held out his right hand for Akane to take. Nabiki lowered her sister's arm from around her neck, and let Akane loose so she could hobble over to him. As soon as she was in reach, his hand shot out and steadied her. He had her arm wrapped around his neck and her walking in step with him a moment after that, while he carried Ryoga slung over his left shoulder as he carried him like a sack of potatoes. As he rounded the corner he called out without looking back. "Ranma, take care of Nabiki for me, will you." It wasn't a question. Akane looked back once more with worry in her eyes, and then she was gone as Doctor Tofu pulled her along with him.

As Akane left, Ranma muttered to himself something about they had been having a good time, and he could never catch a break. She'd have to ask him about that later, as she suddenly found herself the subject of Shampoo's cold stare. The Amazon girl was ... unnerving.

She felt a bit naked and unprotected on the street facing Shampoo in the fading light of day. Even if it was on the street right in front of her house, and Ranma was there.

Shampoo hopped down from the wall and started to walk towards her with a malicious gleam in her eye. Nabiki took a half step back before Ranma was suddenly standing in front of her, with his arms spread out protectively.

"Shampoo, no! Nabiki, and all of the Tendos, are off limits! Do you hear me? Off limits!" He said sternly.

Shampoo nodded but continued to advance. Nabiki narrowed her eyes, she knew damn well that Shampoo understood more Japanese than she let on. She knew that part of her broken speech pattern was simply to throw people off into thinking she was stupid. She often got away with things simply because she pretended she didn't understand the rules. It was actually a brilliant strategy. She had filed it away to use should she ever find herself in another country as soon as she'd met Shampoo.

Ranma put some heat into his voice when Shampoo kept coming. "Hey, stop! Stop! What did I just say?! Leave. Nabiki. Alone! She. Is. OFF. LIMITS!"

Shampoo stopped within arm's reach of Ranma, but still outside of any sort of striking range on her. She wasn't worried. Ranma would not allow Shampoo to hurt her. So she just glared at her.

"It was bad enough when you popped up and scared Akane earlier, you've got to stop this!" Ranma said in an extremely frustrated tone of voice.

She filed that away to ask about later. It probably explained Akane's twisted ankle.

"Shampoo no understand!" The Amazonian girl said with her own frustration breaking in her voice. "If Ranma no is engaged to Akane, Ranma should marry Shampoo!"

Ranma shook his head and replied sternly. "I'm engaged to _Nabiki_ now." He indicated her with a nod of his head, but he didn't look back at her. She wasn't really where she wanted him to focus Shampoo's attention, but she knew he was winging this. She hadn't had time to tell him about the plans she'd come up with. Although he was basically carrying out plan one anyway, without any prompting from her. Sure, she could have coached him a bit on what to say, but basically confronting Shampoo about the engagement and asking her to stop had been her first plan, and it had been the one she had been sure he would pick. She hadn't had much hope for the second plan, although that had been the one she would have preferred.

Shampoo glared at Nabiki. "Only reason Shampoo leave Akane alone was thought husband loved Akane. If husband is switch to new girl so easy, then only fair husband marry Shampoo! Shampoo is waiting much longer than sister of Akane is!" She took another step towards Ranma, and he held his ground, still holding his arms wide to protect her.

She thought about speaking up and trying to help Ranma, but she didn't want to throw him off his center, and she didn't want Shampoo to see her as controlling him. That wouldn't make the situation better. So she just continued to glare at her.

Shampoo wasn't looking at her anyway. She was staring deep into Ranma's eyes and had laced her fingers into his as she swayed her hips and stepped towards him seductively as she made soft little _hmm_ and _umm_ sounds. She had to admit, the girl had style.

Ranma stood transfixed at that for a moment, and she couldn't really blame him. Hell, even she had been staring at Shampoo's hips there for a moment, a little bit mesmerized. To Ranma's credit, he took a half step back before Shampoo could press herself up against him, and straightened his arms to push her back to arm's length. "C'mon Shampoo, can't you please stop?"

Shampoo continued to look at him with adoration as she cooed at him and made kissy faces. She could see him wilt a little under the Amazon's attentions, but not enough to be swayed by it. He put a little bit more steel into his voice. "Shampoo, stop. All right? Please, just stop. I aint gonna marry you. I told you this before, I already have a fiancée. It was Akane then and now it's Nabiki, but nothing's changed. And, even if the Tendos kicked me out tomorrow, I would _still_ be engaged to Ukyo too. I can't throw my family's honor away to be with you. Please ... try to understand."

_All right, laying it on a little thick there, Saotome. Time to wrap it up_. She thought as she sighed. She really needed to teach him how to persuade people with a little bit more subtlety.

"Is ... is husband say ... never?" Shampoo asked with real tears in her eyes.

Ranma nodded hesitantly, she could tell he was really struggling with this. He was swallowing a lot, and she could tell he didn't trust his voice any more. Her hands suddenly felt cold and clammy as she watched him. She knew he had a terrible time saying no to a crying girl. This was the moment of truth. Previously when Ranma had convinced Shampoo he was a girl, she had attacked but had been unable to really commit to the attack, and had broken away from it and fled back to China in tears. Would she attack now, or would she flee?

Shampoo tensed up, and took a half step towards Ranma. He flinched and held his protective stance in front of Nabiki. Then Shampoo stopped and reversed her step and took a full step back. She stared at Ranma with longing in her eyes and cried openly for a few moments. _Or, she could just cry instead -- that actually might be more effective on him._ Nabiki thought wryly to herself. Then while she continued to cry she shot a hateful glare at Nabiki before switching back to gazing sadly at Ranma. "Fine. Shampoo go." She said bitterly.

_Well ... that's not what you want to hear_. Nabiki thought to herself as Shampoo turned and hopped up on the wall.

Ranma called after her. "Shampoo, wait."

Both Nabiki and Shampoo turned and looked at him quizzically.

"Did you hear what I said about the Tendos? They are off limits, do you understand?" Ranma asked earnestly.

She relaxed from the sudden clench she had been in when he had called Shampoo back. She had been afraid he wouldn't be able to let any of them go, and would promise her something noncommittal that would keep her hanging around, just to keep her from crying.

Shampoo looked back at him with dead eyes and an expressionless mask on her face as she slid her gaze over to Nabiki and held it there as she replied. "Shampoo heard." Then she bounded away to the next rooftop, and the one after that, and then was gone.

Ranma slumped in front of her as he dropped his arms and muttered to himself. "Well ... that's encouraging." He turned around and smiled at her. "At least we didn't have to go find her, though. One down, right?"

She smiled back tightly at him and reached her hands out to him. He took them and held them gently in his warm hands. She _loved_ how warm he always was. She smiled more broadly at him to encourage him for continuing to keep his promise as she replied. "Yes, good job, Ranma. Not quite the way I would have planned it, but hey, no plan survives contact with the enemy anyway."

He nodded happily at her praise. So she was less enthusiastic to add her next comment, but she felt she had to. "Did you notice that she only acknowledged that she had heard you say we were off limits? She never said she agreed to it." She asked as she tried to keep the fear out of her voice, but she knew it was there.

"Oh, even if she had said she would stay away, I wouldn't have believed her. We're going to have to do something about the old ghoul before they actually stop." He said.

That was what she had thought would have to happen as well. She was amazed at how well he planned and understood strategy when it concerned fighting. When it was a physics problem or a question about how complex political things worked, he just sat there. But if it involved martial arts in any way, then he was totally invested in it. It was a shame that his father had only seen fit to have Ranma value martial skills. But, on the other hand, she knew that part of the reason he was so good was because he only focused on his martial skills. She wondered what he would be like if he had grown up with his mother as well. _I guess I'll never know, not that it really matters._ She thought as she smiled at him and held his hands.

She nodded at his explanation and turned to walk back towards the house with him and dropped his left hand while she continued to hold his right. She walked with him in silence for a moment then looked up at him and whispered. "We should talk."


	19. Harder Than It Looked

Ranma paused and repeated what she had said as he looked at her with wide eyes. "We need to talk? What ... what'd I do wrong?" He asked nervously. She looked up at him and flinched at the fear she saw there.

_He can't ... be_ that _worried about upsetting me, can he?_ She thought in amazement. She realized a moment later that she had used the dreaded phrase that usually meant a break-up was imminent. She frowned at herself for her carelessness and leaned into him to reassure him. She slid a little bit on the silk of his Chinese shirt, then settled in against him comfortably before she replied. "It's nothing bad, Ranma. I just wanted to plan our next step together, that's all," she said as she nudged Ranma to continue to walk. She could smell his flowery-cedar scent more strongly as she leaned on him; she really enjoyed that. She gave him a small smile, and squeezed his hand as well and the panic fell off his face.

He squeezed her hand back and visibly relaxed. "Oh, sure, yeah, let's do that. Where did you want to..." he trailed off hesitantly. He clearly wasn't sure how to ask her.

She looked up at him and smiled in amusement at his nervousness. It was sweet. "Let's go check on Akane, and help Doctor Tofu get Ryoga out of the house first, all right? Then we can have dinner with everyone, and afterwards, you and I can decide if you want to tackle either one of the other girls next, or do something else."

He nodded eagerly.

"And, we should also ... plan our own date as well ... soon." She added.

He stopped nodding and smiled. "S-sure, I'd ... like that too."

They entered the house together, and Ranma let go of her hand as they stepped inside. She continued to hold onto his hand for a moment longer, then gave it a squeeze and let go as well. She knew he was still nervous about showing affection for people in public, especially in front of her family.

Ranma headed upstairs, but she didn't follow him, she went looking for Akane. She had expected Akane to be sitting in the dining room with a bandaged ankle and pretending that she wasn't injured. Instead she found Akane hobbling around next to Doctor Tofu in the entryway -- pretending she wasn't injured. Akane _did_ have her ankle tightly bandaged though, so she had been right about that. She grinned openly at Akane's predictable stubbornness, then turned her attention to Doctor Tofu. He was tending to Ryoga and ignoring everyone else. She decided to check on Akane first, since the Doctor looked busy.

"How you doing, Akane?" She asked in a quiet voice, not wanting to startle anyone. As she got closer to Akane, she could smell the faint vanilla-lemon perfume that she must have put on for her date. As Akane was moving around and heating her body up more because of her injury, the scent was getting stronger in the air around her.

Akane looked up and smiled. "I'm fine, Nabiki. Just twisted my ankle a bit earlier, no big deal."

"How'd you do that anyway?" She asked as she came to crouch down on the other side of Ryoga from where Doctor Tofu was working, with her back to the door.

"Oh ... um ... well it's silly. We were on our way back home and Shampoo showed up on top of a roof and startled me. I stepped back into a fighting stance and I accidentally stepped off the curb and twisted my ankle. By the time I looked up, Shampoo was gone, and Ranma helped me the rest of the way home."

Well that explained it. She smiled at Akane then turned her attention to Doctor Tofu. Before she could say anything though, Kasumi came into the entryway. "How is Akane, Doctor?" Kasumi asked in a worried tone. She could see Doctor Tofu stiffen as soon as Kasumi spoke as he kicked in his act.

"I'm fine, Kasumi. Honestly, I hurt myself worse practicing." Akane said with a bit of an edge in her voice. She was probably getting tired of people babying her all the time.

"That's good, Akane. And what about Ryoga, Doctor?" Kasumi asked as she came up and put a hand on Doctor Tofu's shoulder.

_This should be good._ She thought with a rather large grin on her face. Doctor Tofu tightened his grip on Ryoga's ribs, as he had been in the middle of checking him for cracked ribs when Kasumi had entered the room. She was fairly certain she heard at least one rib creak as he squeezed.

Ryoga shot bolt upright at that and yelped with pain as he scooted away from Doctor Tofu rapidly while breathing heavily. It was amazing how quickly pain could sometimes bring someone out of unconsciousness.

Doctor Tofu stayed in the pose he had been in, clutching his now empty fingers at the air. She knew it was an act, but it was still amusing to watch. When he did things like that to Ryoga and other patients, he only pushed as hard as the patients could take. So, Ranma and Ryoga got it far worse than anyone else would. It seemed like Doctor Tofu was willing to use more force with Ryoga than Ranma though. She wondered if it was because Doctor Tofu didn't care much for Ryoga, or if he just thought Ryoga was tougher?

Kasumi smiled at Ryoga as she stood over him. "Oh good, you're up now." Nabiki realized that Kasumi had Ryoga's things in her arms. She blinked in surprise at that.

"Well, we were just about to sit down to dinner now, Ryoga ... so ..."

Was she ... was she dismissing him? That was very unlike Kasumi. Nabiki watched with wide eyes as Kasumi handed Ryoga his things and stood over him politely, but in an obviously unwelcoming way.

Ryoga sheepishly took his things and opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again as he tried to work out what to say.

Akane jumped in to defend him. "Oh, it's okay, Ryoga you can--"

"I'm afraid we only have place settings enough for our family with Doctor Tofu joining us, and I only made enough for them." Kasumi said sweetly as she tilted her head a bit and stared at Ryoga firmly with a smile on her face that did _not_ reach her eyes.

Akane gaped at her in surprise and actually took a step back away from her like she'd just been slapped. Kasumi almost never interrupted anyone, and hospitality was practically her middle name.

Ryoga jumped to his feet and bowed to Kasumi formally. "Of course, of course. I'm on my way to mount HyÅno to train anyway, so I should get going." He said weakly.

"That's nice, have a safe trip." Kasumi replied still in her sweet voice, and still smiling with a smile that did not reach her eyes.

"Akane ... I'll catch you later, all right?" Ryoga said as he started to back up towards the door.

"S-sure, Ryoga. Have a safe trip." Akane said with actual fear in her voice as she looked back and forth between the suddenly implacable Kasumi, and Ryoga.

Ryoga fumbled behind himself for the door handle, opened it, and backed out quickly. He bowed once more to Kasumi, then turned quickly and headed straight for the front gates. Fear seemed to give him additional navigational prowess, as he made it straight to the gates and out of them without incident. Of course, the gates were also within easy eyesight, so it wasn't _that_ much of an impressive feat for him.

The last look Nabiki got of him, he was hurrying towards the gates, and looking back over his shoulder every couple of steps like he was waiting for someone to call him back. She looked over at Akane, and she could see by her sister's body language, that she _wanted_ to call him back. She even raised an arm halfway and opened her mouth to say something, but a look from Kasumi who had turned from the door to face Akane, was all it took to stop her. One simply did _not_ argue with Kasumi about issues like this.

Since Ryoga had left it open, she hopped up and went over to close the door. She then turned around and leaned against the cool frame and just stared in wonder at Kasumi. She wanted to ask Kasumi what that had been about, but Akane beat her to it.

"K-Kasumi ... why did--"

"I don't particularly care for people who attack members of _my family_ , for no good reason, in the street in front of our home. Especially when people are asking them to stop. There is training and honorable fighting in the dojo, and then there is that. I don't care for that." Kasumi said simply as she turned to leave the room. "Dinner will be served in a few minutes." She called out sweetly over her shoulder as she turned the corner, like nothing had happened.

_Wow, Kasumi now thinks of Ranma as family. When did ... that ... happen?_ She thought to herself in wonder as she watched Kasumi go with a half-smile on her face. Kasumi didn't put her foot down all that often, but when she did, her word was _law_ in this house.

Akane opened her mouth again like she was going to argue after her. She took a step to follow Kasumi, then obviously thought better of it and stopped. Her little sister looked at both Doctor Tofu and herself with an expression on her face that screamed _what the hell just happened?!_

She and Doctor Tofu both just shrugged. She honestly didn't care about Ryoga or for him. She didn't really mind him attacking Ranma though. Ranma liked to fight, and Ryoga challenged him and pushed him to be better. And, as Ranma had clearly just recently demonstrated, if he wanted to, he could shut down Ryoga's persistent attacks pretty hard. _At least, at Ryoga's current skill level_. She silently corrected herself.

As for Doctor Tofu, she seriously doubted there was any way he was going to set himself against Kasumi, especially over someone like Ryoga.

Akane took their indifference in and sighed as she turned on her good heel and headed upstairs. Ranma just happened to be heading down the stairs at the same time. He stepped to the side of the stairs and made room for Akane to make her way up by holding on to the banister and hopping up them. He was wise enough not to offer to help her as she thumped up the stairs determinedly.

Akane paused when she reached the same step he was on, and smiled at him. They said something quietly to each other, and Akane reached her hand out and put it on his shoulder and smiled happily at him. Then she continued to hobble upstairs and Ranma continued downstairs.

Nabiki wandered into the dining room after Ranma, who sat at his usual place. He looked up at her and smiled a small smile. That made her happy. She smiled back. Daddy and mister Saotome came in a moment later and took their usual seats. A few minutes later Akane returned having changed out of the outfit she had worn on her date with Ranma, and into her usual at-home clothes. Doctor Tofu did not join them. She wasn't all that happy about that. She knew he must have slipped outside to guard the house again. She needed to talk to him about that. He could certainly eat dinner with the family, and he didn't need to be patrolling around the house constantly. Just being in the house should be enough of a deterrent now that he had already stopped the Amazons twice.

She thought about going outside and signaling him to come in, but got distracted when Kasumi came in with the food.

"Oh, where is Doctor Tofu?" That was the first thing out of her mouth, of course.

"Oh, I think he went for a walk." Was the best she could come up with as everyone else just looked around and shrugged.

Kasumi nodded and set a place for him anyway. Good, she'd call him back into the house as soon as dinner was over, that way Kasumi could give him her undivided attention. She smiled at that thought as she ate and observed the rest of the family.

In every way possible, their shared meal together passed as normally as it ever did. Akane and Ranma made polite conversation. She made polite conversation with both of them, although Akane's replies to her seemed a bit strained. Kasumi did her usual hosting thing, and daddy and mister Saotome mostly ate in silence. Everything was normal ... until daddy decided to bring up a delicate topic. He set his bowl down and cleared his throat to get everyone's attention then dropped right into one of his usual speeches.

"Well girls, as you know, we still have a hole in the wall of the house. We are trying to have the wall fully repaired by tomorrow, but in the meantime, we will need to continue to have alternative sleeping arrangements again tonight." They all looked at him expectantly. He looked around the room in his usual melodramatic way before he started issuing orders. "Right, well I don't see any reason to displace Kasumi again tonight. So she can stay in her own room. Akane will take my bed which I have moved to Kasumi's room, and I will guard them tonight. Saotome will be walking the halls again tonight, and I will trade with him halfway through the night. And Nabiki, I want you to stay in the guest room again with Ranma guarding you, same as last night." Everyone had been nodding along until he got to her, then she saw Akane twitch like she had just been slapped.

"Wait, what?" Akane said with wide eyes as she rounded on daddy and raised her voice to a frantic pitch.

"Ranma will guard Nabiki again tonight." Daddy said simply and softly as he met her gaze sternly.

"Again?" Akane echoed him.

"Yes, since they are engaged, it is his duty to protect her first," he looked at Akane kindly, then added when she didn't look any happier, "don't worry Akane, daddy will protect you tonight, those crazy Amazons won't get to you." He had missed the point of her objection entirely, but that didn't surprise her. Daddy was decidedly old fashioned when it came to things like family honor, duty, love and marriage. She was sure that to him it was the most logical thing in the world for two teenagers to sleep together who were engaged to each other due to an arranged marriage.

She watched Akane carefully to see how she would react. Akane could start fighting for him right now, but that would force her to admit that she had real feelings for him.

"No! That's not right!" Akane said as she slapped the table. Daddy winced at that but didn't say anything right away as he tried to figure out what her objection was.

_Or ... she could get upset, that works too_. She thought as she cringed from the tears she could see forming in Akane's eyes. In all honesty, she didn't really care if Ranma slept with her again. Until he had made his decision, she was determined to try to keep her distance from him, as best she could, and give him the space he needed to make that decision. She knew that sleeping with her, even as a girl, would have an affect on his decision.

So, she spoke up. "It's fine, daddy. Ranma can protect Akane tonight, and you can guard me." She smiled softly at Akane as she finished.

Akane shot her a look that was confused, hurt, embarrassed and grateful all at the same time. _We Tendo girls certainly are complicated, aren't we?_ She thought with an inward smirk.

"I-I didn't mean tha-that..." Akane trailed off embarrassed.

_Well, tough, you raised the issue, so now you have to deal with it._ She thought somewhat vengefully which surprised her. _Let it go._ She chided herself as she clamped down on those feelings and hid them.

But, despite Akane's protests and her own assurance that she was alright with switching things up, daddy wasn't having it. "No. It is Ranma's duty as Nabiki's fiancée to protect her. That is the end of it." He stood up to leave but Akane said something that stopped him halfway from his rise and brought him back down to a seated position.

"B-but ... Ranma's not ... "

Nabiki raised an eyebrow at her. This was interesting, was Akane going to try to reassert her claim to the engagement _right now_? She waited with an outward expression of calm on her face, but inside she was sick with fear. _Already? Really? Damn._ She thought in a panic as she fought the urge to yell that Ranma didn't belong to anyone.

She sneaked a quick look at Ranma who had a panicked look on his face. He was looking between her and Akane rapidly, and avoiding daddy's eyes entirely. She made eye contact with him and did her best to convey silently that she wouldn't throw a fit if he went back to Akane. That was hard to do silently, but she was pretty sure he got at least some sort of peaceful message from her.

"Ranma's not ... what, Akane?" Daddy asked with surprise in his voice. She knew he was playacting a little bit because they had just talked about this a little while ago. Daddy could be sly when he wanted to.

Everyone in the room turned and looked at Akane, except for Ranma who was now just staring at the table. She stopped looking at him to gaze at her little sister. _Now's your chance, Akane, if you claim him, he'll probably go back to you._ _He hates being put on the spot like this, especially in front of the entire family. He'll go along with whatever just to keep the peace, at least for now._ She thought in a strangely numb way. She was already inoculating herself as best she could against the hurt she felt was coming. She realized that in a distant metaphysical way, but it didn't change anything.

Akane struggled to get the words out with everyone looking at her. Nabiki could feel her own heart pounding in her chest with fear as she worked desperately to control her breathing to keep it calm and slow, and not let it spike fast and panicked like she wanted to.

"Ranma's engaged to ... he's my ..." Akane said hesitantly.

She felt weirdly woozy and suddenly tasted bile in the back of her throat as she watched her hopes dying in a slow-motion crash. _Akane was doing it, she really was fighting for him!Â  Well ... crap. It's all over._ She thought miserably as she looked at Ranma to signal to him that it was all right. But he still wasn't looking up. His body language was very negative, his shoulders were slumped, and his chin was resting on his chest as he looked at the table. The dragon inside of her was falling out of the sky, having lost the will to fly.

"He's your ... what, Akane?" Daddy asked with a touch of impatience in his voice, which triggered Kasumi.

"Father, please, this is a very sensitive subject. Let Akane say what is on her mind, in her own way." She turned to Akane and smiled kindly. "Go ahead, Akane."

Of all of the times for Kasumi to support Akane, Nabiki really wished it hadn't been now. She shot Kasumi a look of betrayal, and Kasumi met her eyes and quickly ... winked. She did it very fast and without a change in her facial expression, but she had definitely winked. She didn't know what to do with that, but there was nothing she could do anyway. Akane had the stronger claim on Ranma. Akane had put in the time. Nabiki knew both Akane and Ranma had feelings for each other. She hung her head and waited for the axe to fall.

"I, it's just ... Ranma is my ... " Akane stuttered as she stared at the table. She was clearly having a very hard time actually saying what everyone knew she was trying to say.

"Are you saying that you and Ranma agreed to switch the engagement back to you today, Akane?" Daddy asked.

That hadn't even occurred to her. She looked up quickly with wide eyes at Ranma feeling extremely betrayed. _He could have at least mentioned that on the way inside earlier--_

He looked sideways at her by shifting his eyes towards her just enough so she could tell that he was looking at her, and shook his head _no_ with the smallest millimeter-small motion he could possibly make. Then he resumed looking at the table. Akane hadn't noticed.

She didn't know why it mattered, because Akane was about to pull the engagement back to herself anyway, but she was immensely happy that Ranma hadn't gone behind her back and changed the engagement back to Akane without even talking to her about it. Not that it changed anything; Ranma being officially engaged to her or Akane didn't mean the week was over yet. She still had a chance. It was a slim chance, but she still had her own date to go on with him.Â  _Maybe I can still_ ... she thought wistfully about ways she could convince Ranma he would be happier with her. But if she was being honest with herself, she couldn't think of anything of substance that she could offer him that Akane couldn't.

"N-no ..." Akane said as she looked at Ranma and then back at daddy. Akane didn't look at her at all, not that she blamed her.

"Ranma?" Daddy asked sternly. Ranma looked up at him using his timid persona. He generally deferred politely to daddy when it came to trouble concerning any of the Tendo sisters. Daddy continued. "Did you change your engagement back to Akane today?"

Ranma shook his head no.

"Are you still engaged to Nabiki?"

Ranma nodded his head yes.

"Well then, this question goes to you girls. It sounds to me like Akane wants the engagement back. So, we should settle this. Nabiki and Akane, what do you want?"

She noticed that he didn't ask Ranma what he wanted. But she knew he didn't care what Ranma wanted, nor did Ranma's own father, whom she noticed wasn't even paying attention to what was going on, as he continued to eat Kasumi's cooking happily.

She looked at Akane and waited while she held her breath. _This is it, all she has to say is she wants him back_. She thought. Akane was looking at the table and tracing circles on the top of it with her finger as she blushed. After a moment, daddy asked her directly. "Akane, do you want to be engaged to Ranma again? Do you have feelings for him?"

Ranma looked up at that and watched Akane carefully.

"What? N-no! That's not what I..." Akane protested as she blushed even harder.

Ranma's facial expression didn't change from the careful neutral that he had it set to, but she could tell that he hadn't been expecting her to say that. Inside, Nabiki was warming up. _She can't do it! She can't say out loud that she has feelings for him!_ She smiled as the dragon inside her pulled out of its dive at the last moment, centimeters above rock bottom. It was clear to everyone in the room that Akane did have feelings for Ranma, but at the moment, that wasn't going to be enough.

Daddy turned his gaze from Akane and fixed it on her next and asked her the same question. "Nabiki, do you want to be engaged to Ranma? Do you have feelings for him?"

She could feel the weight of the stares of everyone in the room settle on her. They were unbearably heavy. She immediately felt like she was having trouble breathing. _Wow, this is actually a lot harder than it looked_. She thought with sympathy for Akane. She swallowed nervously. It was one thing to be alone with Ranma and to tell him things. But, saying those things in front of her sisters and daddy was ... a lot harder than she had figured it would be. Making it even worse was the suddenly intense gaze from mister Saotome as he took a brief break from eating to watch her with a critical eye as a new possible future daughter-in-law. She looked over at Ranma as she swallowed nervously while she worked to keep a mask of cool detachment on her face. Sure enough as her eyes settled on Ranma, she found him watching her carefully, just like he had done with Akane.

_I am sure this can't be easy on him either, but c'mon, why is all of the pressure suddenly on me? Why does Ranma just get to sit there?_ She thought indignantly. She sneaked a look at Akane, and saw that she was still looking down at the table and blushing mightily. Not that she blamed her, she could feel the heat of her own blush in her face and neck, she desperately wanted to look at the table too, or anywhere else that wasn't everyone's eyes. Only her years of experience with negotiations prevented her from doing that; she wanted to show strength right now. She let her eyes slide over to Kasumi, and found her beaming at her with sparkling eyes. She could almost feel her older sister sending her cheers of encouragement. She brought her gaze back over to Ranma, and tried to really think of what it would be like to marry him.

_I'm not really going to do this, am I? Can I do this? If I do, I will be fully committing to this, I won't be able to back out of it easily_. She thought to herself as she gazed into his eyes. Then she mentally slapped herself to snap out of it. _What am I thinking about? I was just sitting here worrying about Akane taking the engagement away, and now I am hesitating like some mewling school girl over whether to get the regular or chocolate milk? I swore in the park that I was going to fight for him, so, damn it, that's what I am going to do!_ She chided herself as she reached down inside herself for her courage and grabbed it as hard as she could as she opened her mouth and answered.

"I ... Yes." She said in as calm a voice as she could, which still shook with the nervousness she couldn't quite hide. She couldn't believe she had said that in front of everyone; she felt like she had just been kicked in the gut. She looked down at the table in shame for a moment, then ripped her eyes back up to see Ranma's reaction.

Ranma smiled a very small smile for her before he hid it again. She could see Akane out of the corner of her eye look up suddenly at her in disbelief, with no small amount of betrayal written on her face. _I'm sorry Akane, I gave you all the chances I could. I have to do this._ She thought sympathetically for her sister. She couldn't bring herself to look at her, though. She looked over at Kasumi, who was now grinning at her happily. She understood what her wink had been about now. That had been ... a risky little gambit. She had to admit though, it had paid off. Her respect for Kasumi rose a notch.

"Akane?" Daddy prompted her sister one more time. Akane looked back down at the table and stayed silent. Nabiki's heart went out to her, but she didn't say anything. If Akane wanted him, she was going to have to say ... something. Although, in the end, even if she didn't fight, Ranma might choose her anyway -- despite her own hopes -- she concluded glumly.

"Well then, I think that is settled, for now. Akane, my bed is waiting for you whenever you are ready." He stood up and walked past Akane on his way out of the room. He paused next to Akane and reached down and squeezed her shoulder kindly in the way that only fathers did, then continued out of the room. Mister Saotome followed close behind him. Akane never looked up.

Ranma looked up from the table as soon as daddy left the room, and slid his eyes from her to Akane and back again. He opened his mouth to say something, but Kasumi reached over quickly and put a rice ball in his mouth. "Ranma what do you think of my new recipe for this?" She asked sweetly. He looked at her with wide eyes as he chewed quickly and swallowed to prevent choking.

Nabiki raised an eyebrow over that. Ranma had the right to speak his mind about all this. But ... she had to admit that now was probably not the best time. She was sure that as embarrassed as Akane had to be feeling right now, and as hurt as she must be, anything he could say would only upset her. Besides, Ranma was probably a little hurt that Akane had denied, yet again, that she had feelings for him. That would probably color what he would say anyway. She thought about trying to talk to Akane privately as she stood up. She even took a step towards her. But Kasumi cleared her throat and got her attention. She looked over at Kasumi who shook her head very subtly. Nabiki sighed. Kasumi was probably right.

So, she stopped and turned around and walked out of the room without looking back. As she climbed the stairs she thought, _well I guess there_ is _one thing I can offer Ranma right now, that Akane can't_. She had to admit to herself, as embarrassing as that had been, she was glad she hadn't backed down. She hummed happily to herself as she made her way to her room to get her things for the night.


	20. Green Eyes

Nabiki was in pretty high spirits at the moment. The dragon inside her was swooping around in celebration. Akane had tried to take Ranma back, but hadn't been able to. Ranma was still engaged to her, and he had smiled when she had been put on the spot to say in front of everyone that she had feelings for him.

_I did it, I did it, I did it!_ She thought happily to herself as she turned from her dresser to look at herself in her bedroom mirror and smiled a small, proud smile. She hugged her pajamas tightly to her chest as she looked at herself in the cold of her room. _I look stressed out, for sure. But, otherwise, I think I'm holding up pretty damn well._ She thought as she assessed the wear on herself she was accumulating from carrying around all of the extra stress from the last few days. She smiled to herself as she headed to the door.

_Now, I just have to get through another night with Ranma and th--_

Her thoughts dropped off a cliff as she opened her door. Ranma and Akane were down the hall together, standing very close and talking quietly. They were holding hands, and he was nodding while Akane did most of the talking. She could tell that Akane was upset, because there were tears in her eyes, but Akane was also smiling and sending a very strong message of desire to Ranma.

She doubted Ranma was fully aware of what Akane was doing, but she could tell. Akane was standing as close to him as she could without actually touching him. She had one of her hips angled forward and tilted down as she stood so that she was partially in profile to him. She was holding his hands in hers down below her waist and she had her hands pressed together with his, which enhanced her bust in profile. Akane was also constantly smiling and shifting her eyes from his eyes to his mouth and back again, a classic signal.

She knew Ranma would be aware that Akane was showing that she wanted to be nice to him. But she doubted that he would know that Akane was trying to tell him non-verbally what she hadn't been able to say at dinner. He might be picking up on some of her signals but--

_Oop, then again, maybe he might know_. She thought in surprise as Akane lunged forward and hugged him tightly and buried her face in his chest. He tensed up at first, then relaxed and returned her hug. He didn't pick her up off her feet as he returned her hug. He just leaned down and hugged her. She didn't know why, but that detail mattered to her.

However, she was now immediately uncomfortable standing there watching them. She wanted to clear her throat or otherwise interrupt them. But she had promised him that she wouldn't interfere with what he did with Akane during the week of their promise. _Because I am an idiot_. She scolded herself. But, a promise was a promise, so she wanted to get away from them. She didn't want to retreat to her room, though, as it was cold in there. So, she quietly closed her door and stepped softly across the hall. She watched Ranma out of the corner of her eye as she crept towards the bathroom. His back was to her, but she could see by the small twitch of his head that he heard her. Well, there wasn't anything she could do about that. She had promised not to interfere, she hadn't promised to flee if she saw him doing something with Akane, or creep around the house silent as a ninja.

She quietly opened the door to the bathroom, and closed it behind herself without looking back, mercifully blocking off any view of them. She just stood there as moment after moment passed, hugging her clothes to her chest and breathing shallowly.

To occupy the time, she set her clothes on one of the shelves and washed her face and brushed her teeth. She didn't want to change her clothes yet, because she still had to go outside and bring Doctor Tofu in. After a suitable period of time had passed, she figured Ranma and Akane couldn't still be standing in the hallway hugging anymore. Even if they were, she couldn't just stay in the bathroom pacing all night. If they were still out there, she would just quietly slip by them and go bring the Doctor inside.

She reached her hand out to the door handle and held it there for a moment as she gathered her courage. _Come on, girl, it's not like they were stripping down and going at it, Akane was only hugging him. Snap out of it._ She chided herself. She nodded and took a deep breath and pulled the door open slowly.

Ranma was standing there facing the door, looking sheepish with his hand raised to knock. His arm wasn't swinging though, so who knew how long he had been standing there like that. Even so, it took every gram of her self control to keep from yelping in surprise. Her hands did dart to her mouth though, she couldn't control the reflex.

Ranma looked at her with mixed feelings in his eyes as he lowered his hand and tried to explain. "So ... about that."

_Oh, no no no no no, don't want the details!_ She thought in a semi-panic as she immediately held up a finger to shush him. "Listen, Ranma, I told you, I want you to date her. I want you to see who feels best with you and make a decision. I wasn't naive enough to make that promise with you and think that you wouldn't try kissing her or hugging her, or whatever. But ... I don't really want to hear about it, all right? I am understanding ... but only to a point." She said in a tone that she could tell he noticed was strained with a bit of ... negativity. The dragon inside her was staring out of her eyes with its own decidedly green eyes.

He threw an arm behind his head in embarrassment and looked down as he jerked his head up and down in an apologetic nod.

She forced herself to cram her feelings of jealousy down as far as she could push them into the basement of her mind, and she kicked the door closed behind them, locking them away for now. He wasn't going to respect her if she didn't keep her promise to him. She needed to keep things under control.

He was still just standing there, looking guilty, so she sighed and pushed him gently on his chest. "I have stuff to do, Saotome, so move it. I'm not mad at you."

He looked up at her hopefully. "Really?" He asked quietly.

She nodded and made herself smile at him. "Really. Now, I am going to go bring Doctor Tofu inside for his own good, if you want to use the bathroom." She knew he could see through her fake smile, but it was the best she could give him at the moment. It was a delicate game they were playing, and people were going to get hurt. But she couldn't back out now. She had committed to play, and she played to win.

Ranma nodded at her again, still hanging his head down guiltily. She rolled her eyes and stepped towards him and lightly reached out for his chin. She lifted his head up gently as she ducked down to look into his eyes while pulling him backwards into the bathroom with her. Once she had pulled him all the way inside, she looked at the door, and he absently reached backwards and closed it. Then, she pulled him upright while she continued to stare into into his eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to ease his fears. She leaned very close to him to put her mouth next to his ear. She saw out of the corner of her eye that he briefly raised his arms like he was going to hug her, before he realized what she was doing and put them back down nervously. That made her happy.

"I promised you that I wouldn't interfere, Ranma. I also promised that I would be honest with you. So, listen to me, I mean it when I say I am all right. You are keeping your promise, and I am keeping mine. You have a full week to make your decision. I appreciate your concern for my feelings, and I appreciate your concern for Akane's feelings. But, you need to make your choice, and that means these kinds of things are going to happen. It's okay." She whispered into his ear. Even in the relative privacy of the bathroom, she had to be careful saying things like that in the house. She could feel the heat of him standing so close to him, and it was affecting her, making her want to ... do things ... with him. So she took a step back and took another deep breath and looked at him. Something about him seemed ... off ... to her senses, but she couldn't put her finger on it at the moment.

He seemed much more calm now. He nodded to show that he understood her, in a less panicked way. His eyes still looked guilty, but his body language was warming up. She smiled at him. "All right, well, now I really do need to go bring the Doctor inside. I will see you in a few minutes." She didn't wait for him to reply as she dodged around him, pulled the door open quickly, and almost jogged down the hall.

_That is getting ... harder to do._ She thought to herself as she headed down the stairs. She forced herself to put her mixed emotions on hold while she gathered herself to look for Doctor Tofu. She hoped he would be close enough that she could signal him and bring him in quickly. She didn't want to be outside in the cold long. But, if she was really being honest, she didn't want to leave Ranma upstairs alone with Akane for long, either. She bit her lower lip guiltily as she acknowledged her bias, at least to herself.

Once she was down the stairs, she immediately headed out the front door to look for Doctor Tofu. She didn't have to go far. He was standing just behind the gates to their property with his hands clasped behind his back -- like a soldier. She shuddered a bit thinking of him like that, and hurried over to him.

She knew he had to hear her coming, but he didn't make any indication that he did until she was about a half-meter away from him and she slowed to a walk.

"Hello, Nabiki." He said in that peaceful tone he almost always used.

"I swear, Doctor, one of these days I am going to figure out how you do that without looking." She groused at him with familiar warmth in her voice.

He turned and looked at her and smiled kindly. "I'm sure you will." He said warmly before he turned back to staring out of their gates.

She reached over and grabbed his upper arm gently. "Come on, come inside. There's no reason for you to stand out here in the cold again all night. As long as you're in the house, they won't attack again."

"What if they do?" He asked quietly without turning around.

"If they do, then you and Ranma and daddy and mister Saotome will beat the ever living crap out of them." She said with a grin.

He turned around again and looked at her with a look that tried to be stern, but fell apart into a huge smile almost immediately as he laughed. "You do have a way of phrasing things, Nabiki." He said happily.

"I know, daddy tells me I get it from mom." She said proudly.

He nodded enthusiastically. "Oh yes! Yes indeed! You are _very much_ like her in that way. She had the same sense of humor and fast mouth as you, Nabiki, no doubt about that." He said as his eyes unfocused as he thought about her mother. She smiled tightly at that. She missed mom terribly, but she loved that so many people had loved her.

She tried to prod him to move again. "Come inside out of the cold, eat your dinner that Kasumi has waiting for you, and just be in the house. That will be good enough for tonight with daddy guarding Akane and Kasumi and Ranma guarding me." She said as she pulled him to start walking with her inside. It was like pulling on a tree. He didn't seem that big or strong, but if he wanted to be rooted to the ground, she couldn't move him. He looked at her and drew his eyebrows together in concern for a moment, then smiled and nodded. And just like that, she was able to move him, and they started walking back towards the house together.

"What's this about Ranma guarding you?" He asked.

"Don't worry about it." She replied glibly.

"What should I tell your father about why I am here?"

"Tell him the truth, you are worried about the family, and want to help. He'll set you up in any room in the house you like, and tell you that just having you there as an honored guest will be more than enough. It won't matter. As long as you are in the house, it should be fine."

He nodded in agreement with her. She walked with him to the dining area, and left him there with Kasumi. She smiled as she listened to Kasumi fuss over him happily to serve him dinner while he did his usual nervous and stuttering act. Those two had their own delicate game they were playing, just like her and Ranma.

With that thought, she headed upstairs to resume playing the game. The door to the bathroom was closed when she got upstairs, so she wandered into the guest room looking for Ranma. He wasn't in there either. So it must be him in the bathroom. She walked back into the hall and stared at Akane's closed door. She was probably in her room changing or getting clothes to change into in Kasumi's room, same as she had done a little while ago. She seriously considered going in and talking to her. She wondered how Akane was feeling at the moment. But she had a feeling her younger sister wasn't going to be too receptive to her presence right now. She couldn't really blame her.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the bathroom door opening and Ranma walking out into the hallway. His eyes locked onto her and he smiled as he walked over to her. As he got closer something in her mind told her something was wrong again. He stopped in front of her and put his hand behind his head to ask how things had gone outside. She replied with a simple answer as she put her brain on autopilot while she tried to figure out what was making her uncomfortable. A moment later it hit her when he reached his hand up and waved it in her face trying to get her attention.

"Hello. Nabiki. You all right?" He asked.

With his hand in her face, she finally could put her finger on what was wrong. She leaned back away from him and frowned.

He let his hand drop sheepishly. "What's the matter, Nabiki?"

"It's just ... you still smell like her..." She said quietly as she leaned back to a neutral position. "You smell like Akane's perfume." She added when the light didn't immediately go on in his eyes.

"Oh ... oh!" He said as realization hit him. He sniffed the air around himself, but clearly didn't smell anything. He shrugged. "I was gonna take a shower anyway before I changed into a girl tonight, that should fix it, right?"

"Not a cold shower, I hope?" She joked. She felt bad making it clear to him that she didn't like him smelling like Akane, but if she had to sleep next to him ... it wasn't an unreasonable request, was it? _Of course not. Akane would be the same way if the situation was reversed, I'm sure of it._ She reassured herself.

He shook his head no and smiled. She returned his smile. "Well, before you start, let me go grab my pajamas and I will change in the guest room while you do that." She said with more cheer in her voice.

He nodded and stepped to the side, still sheepishly holding his hand behind his head. She dashed into the bathroom and grabbed her clothes, and winked at him as she headed to the guest room. "Don't take too long, Ranma, I get lonely." She said as she closed the door to the guest room, leaving him alone in the hall.

Once she was behind the closed door, she leaned her forehead on the frame and berated herself. _What was that?! Is that not interfering? Get yourself under control!_ She grimaced and lightly tapped the side of her head with her fist.

She sighed and turned away from the door and started to change. She slipped into the pajama bottoms first, then slid her top off and was just sliding the pajama top down when she heard the door open behind her. The door shut again quickly and she heard a hesitant knock from outside the door. She smiled as she finished slipping the top on and turned around and walked over to the door and opened it.

Ranma couldn't even look at her. He had his eyes on the ground and immediately launched into an apology. "Sorry. I ... sorry ... I'm so used to staying in this room, I ... I was wasn't thinking. I was gonna tell you something and I just ... forgot. I didn't see anything, I swear! Your back was to the door, I promise!" He bowed formally to her and held the bow until she said something.

She sighed. _Patience, Nabiki, patience._ She encouraged herself. "Ranma..." when he didn't look up, she touched his shoulder and said his name a bit more strongly. He looked up at her then, but still didn't rise from the bow. She could see the wince on his face as he waited for his punishment. She sighed again.

"Ranma, stand up." Once he had done so, she gestured for him to enter the room, then closed the door behind him once he had stepped inside. He still smelled like Akane, but one thing at a time. She pushed her left hip out and rested her hand on it as she smiled sternly at him. It was hard to look imposing while wearing pajamas, but she could do it if she wanted to. Instead, she settled for impatient. She wanted him to see by her body language that she didn't like this. She kept a smile on her face though.

"Ranma, there's no reason to apologize and bow and shrink away from me like you're afraid of me. You're right, this is your room. I should have locked the door, and anyway, like you said, my back was to the door. Big whoop. And frankly, if you had walked in on me stark naked by accident, sure I would have been embarrassed, but it wouldn't be a major incident. I mean, yeah, if you keep _accidentally_ walking in on me naked, then we are going to have to have a talk, but a sincere accident? No big deal. All right?" She asked him in a tone that made it clear she wasn't asking. She loved her little sister, but she had her own set of rules she used for dealing with guys. Akane was welcome to her own rules, but that didn't mean Ranma had to follow those rules with her.

He nodded his head rapidly with a look of relief on his face.

"So, now that that is out of the way, what's up?" She asked as she leaned back against the doorway.

"Oh ... oh yeah, um, Kasumi came up and told me that the hot water isn't workin' in the bathroom, so I can't take a bath or a hot shower. So I just wanted to let you know it's gonna take me a bit longer to get ready."

"Oh, well, in that case, you don't need to worry about smelling like Akane tonight, Ranma." She said with a false smile on her face. She, in fact, really _didn't_ like him smelling like Akane, but it would be unreasonable of her to ask him to go bathe in cold water just because of that.

He smiled and shook his head no. "Well, I mean, I did fight with Ryoga earlier, I don't really want to go to bed all sweaty and stuff. It's fine, I'll put a tea kettle on the stove and I'll splash myself warm as I wash. I've done that sort of thing before in the woods with Pop while trainin'. Just wanted to let you know it would take longer because I'll have to wait for the kettle to heat." He smiled self-consciously and jogged out the door before she could respond to that.

She closed the door behind him and thought to herself. _I wonder if Kasumi ... no. She has Doctor Tofu here right now, I'm sure she doesn't have her mind on what Ranma and I are up to_.

She walked slowly away from the door and sat on the soft bedding laid out on the floor. She had kind of unofficially claimed the bed closest to the door, which was Ranma's bed. Not only did it feel right to her to be in his bed, she really didn't want to sleep in his father's bed ... ever. As a matter of fact, she was pretty sure she wanted to burn his father's bedding if he ever left.

The bedding in the guest room was great stuff, just as good as the western-style beds she and her sisters used. As the bedding warmed under her from her body heat, she gathered her courage to talk to him about the other thing on her mind. In addition to their plans about the rest of the girls, she actually did have something more to talk with him about. Daddy's talk at dinner tonight had planted the seed of it in her mind, and she couldn't just leave it alone now. It wasn't going to be an easy talk, but ... since she had been put on the spot tonight, it seemed only fair that he share that with her, at least a little.

She could hear Ranma run the water in the bathroom a little while later, and she could tell by the change in pitch of the water, when he was stepping in and out of it to splash himself with his tea kettle. She smiled at the thought of him doing that. It was such a silly thing to be doing.

Many minutes later, she heard him turn the water off. She gathered her courage and put it on like a suit of armor. Any moment he would come in the door and she had to talk to him. It might actually help that he would be a girl while she did it. She smiled despite herself. He was cute and little when he was a girl. She knew he wouldn't appreciate being thought of as cuddly, but he was when he was female.

She heard him open the bathroom door. He didn't come right to the guest room. Instead, she heard him yelp in surprise in the hallway as he greeted someone.

"Hey there, oh, Kasumi -- oop, look out!" That was followed by a clatter of something dropping to the floor, a startled little scream from Kasumi, and the clank and splash of what sounded like a tea kettle hitting the floor.

She jumped to her feet and ran and yanked the door open. There in the hallway was Ranma. He was holding Kasumi in his arms just centimeters from the floor, like he had just caught her before she fell. He was soaking wet in his pajamas, and male. His tea kettle was indeed on the floor behind him. And, behind Kasumi, there was a stack of books.

Before she could say anything, Akane yanked her own door open with her eyes wide in panic. She had obviously been in the middle of changing, because only the bottom button of her pajama top was buttoned. She was still wearing a bra, so it wasn't a huge deal, but she could still see Akane flush with embarrassment when she saw Ranma looking at her. Then she flushed a deeper shade of red when she processed that Ranma had Kasumi in his arms.


	21. Terms

_Well, this should be interesting._ Nabiki thought as she leaned up against the door frame. What made this even more fun was that Ranma's left hand which was at the small of Kasumi's back, had slipped under the bottom of her shirt a little bit when he had caught her. Innocent enough, but not to Akane's eyes, she was sure. _No way will Akane hit Ranma after their date though, not after she had been trying to be so nice to him earlier,_ especially _not while he is holding Kasumi._ She thought as she watched those thoughts flash across Akane's face like she was reading an open book. Then her little sister screwed a smile on her face and reached up and started to button the top button on her pajamas nonchalantly as she walked over to them.

"Hey Ranma ... um ... what's going on?" Akane asked him in a sweet voice that was obviously strained.

Ranma's brain re-engaged and he jerked upright with Kasumi and quickly set her down on her own feet again. He did tend to kind of go into low-power mode when he was in unexpected close contact with a female, didn't he? _I wonder why that is?_ She thought.

Kasumi answered for Ranma as soon as he set her back on her feet. "Oh, I'm afraid it's my fault, Akane. I wasn't looking where I was going with that stack of books I was bringing downstairs to show Doctor Tofu. Ranma had to jump out of the way, and got splashed because of it, and then he saved me from falling when I stumbled." Kasumi said sweetly.

"Kasumi, what did you, wha--" Akane stuttered.

But she couldn't complete the thought because Daddy entered the scene at that point with mister Saotome right behind him charging up the stairs.

"Don't worry, Kasumi, Daddy's coming!" He yelled as he cleared the landing and jerked to an abrupt stop finding nobody attacking his girls, and everyone just standing around awkwardly in the hallway.

So, of course, he looked suspiciously at Ranma. "Saotome, what are you up to?" He growled.

"Yeah, boy, what'd you do now?" Ranma's dad added.

"I didn't do anything!" Ranma protested.

"It's true, Father, it was my fault. I ran into Ranma and made him drop his kettle. He saved me from falling when I lost my balance from the books I had been carrying." Kasumi said with a bit of an edge to her voice as she stepped in front of Ranma.

Akane noticed the change in Kasumi's mood and took a full step back from her. All thoughts of going after Ranma for any perceived wrongs to her sister had clearly fled her head.

_Well, now we'll never know what would have happened._ She thought to herself glibly as she leaned against the wall and watched it all with a smile. She noticed that Doctor Tofu hadn't come charging to the rescue. He was good enough to know the difference between the sounds of a real attack and the sounds of someone running into someone accidentally. _Had it been an accident, though?_ She eyed Kasumi suspiciously.

It had become clear to her at dinner that Kasumi wasn't fully acting as a neutral third party. She didn't know if Kasumi just wanted the Ranma thing sorted out one way or another once and for all, or if Kasumi had someone in mind for Ranma specifically. Either way, it was awfully ... convenient that Kasumi had told Ranma the hot water was out, and then Kasumi had somehow been involved with Ranma ... _accidentally_ being changed back into a boy again after going to the trouble of washing up with cold water and changing into a girl. She raised an eyebrow at Kasumi but didn't say anything.

The family was breaking up now. Daddy and mister Saotome were heading back downstairs; and Akane was following Kasumi to her room, after helping her older sister pick up the dropped books. Akane did pause and lean over and whisper something to Ranma as she passed him, though. She watched her little sister with no small amount of annoyance. The dragon inside her glared at Akane while she tried to shush it. Akane closed the door to Kasumi's room slowly, with her eyes locked on Ranma. It had not escaped Nabiki's attention that Akane had never once looked at her the entire time she had been in the hall with her. She would have to try to resolve that soon. She didn't want Akane to hate her.

She sighed. _So many problems, not enough time._ She thought as she looked at her dripping-wet fiancée and sighed again. "What am I going to do with you, Ranma?" She asked with a slow grin and a deliberately overwrought tone of voice.

He frowned at her. "I don't know, but can you do it quick? I hate being wet." He said miserably.

"Well, come on then, come change into dry clothes." She said sarcastically but with a warm tone and a smile on her face as she swept her hand towards the room. He hesitated for a moment, then nodded and entered the room. She followed close behind him and closed the door. He walked a wide berth around the bedding on the floor to reach the clothes dresser on the other side of the room. He pulled out a new set of pajamas and turned and looked at her sadly.

"I wasn't that cold stayin' a girl either, because I had been usin' the kettle to warm up as I washed." He sighed regretfully. "Be right back, I'll go change into a girl and then put these on."

"Hold on, Ranma." She said as she stayed in front of the door and held a hand out in the classic palm-out _stop_ hand signal.

He froze in place with a confused look on his face.

"It's all right ... with me ... if you stay a guy, Ranma. I trust you. I'm not worried about you attacking me in the night or anything." She said as gently as she could. She knew this was a sensitive subject for him.

"Yeah, but ... Nabiki ..." He protested with his hand behind his head in embarrassment.

It was funny, as often as Ranma was accused of being a pervert, in reality he was actually a bit of a prude. She smiled at him. "But, what, Ranma?" She asked. She knew what he was going to say, the same as last night. But, at least this time he couldn't say he'd never slept with anyone before.

"I ... it's just ... you know ... what if somebody--, or what if I--" He stammered.

"All right, worst case scenario, what is the absolute worst thing you think could happen if you stay the night in the room with me as a boy?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I guess ... um ... I guess if I touch somethin' I shouldn't when I'm sleepin' ... oh, um ... I guess worse than that would be if I did that and someone saw, like Akane or your dad." He said as he flushed red and stared at the ground.

She smiled a confident smile as she replied. "So what?" She asked.

"Well ... Akane would be really mad, and your dad would probably try to have us get married that morning, I don't know what Kasumi or Doctor Tofu would do. I'm sure Pop would go along with whatever your dad wanted. I ... I dunno know what you would do..." he trailed off, still staring hard at the floor.

Nabiki cracked a more genuine smile and cleared her throat, and waited until he looked up at her. Then she started ticking points off on her fingers. "One, we'll lock the door, which we should be doing anyway just for security reasons. That _is_ the whole reason you are supposed to be in here with me anyway, isn't it? For security?" He nodded, so she continued. "Two, if, despite the door being locked, Akane saw you sleeping with me in an ... awkward situation ... she might indeed get mad. Nothing I can do for you there other than to remind you that it wouldn't be like you were actually doing anything wrong. Three, I can handle my daddy, don't worry about it. And your dad certainly can't make me marry you tomorrow morning, or at any other time. As for Doctor Tofu and Kasumi, again, don't worry about it. They are far more interested in each other than they will ever be in us." She smiled at him encouragingly.

"And ... you, Nabiki?" He asked as he looked up into her eyes uncertainly.

She had been wondering if he would pick up on the fact that she had skipped herself. _There's hope for you yet, Ranma_. She thought in approval before she answered. "As for myself, I can tell when I am being groped or not, Ranma. If it is an innocent thing done while you are sleeping, or just a mistake done in the dark, then it never happened." She smiled at him, then added with a hard edge in her voice. "However, if you repeatedly make the same innocent _mistakes_ night after night, I may ask Kasumi to only serve you broth until you behave."

Ranma swallowed nervously at that, and nodded earnestly.

"All right then, if that's settled, why don't you get changed, and we can talk about our plans for tomorrow and ... other stuff before we go to sleep." She suggested.

"Oh, s-sure, I'll just run to the bathroom and--" he said as he approached her. But she hadn't moved from in front of the door.

She thought about insisting that she just turn around and he could change in here, but she knew that if she pushed him too hard, he wouldn't be able to handle it. She sighed and stepped away from the door. He smiled gratefully and hurried through it. He ran back into the room wearing the dry clothes about ten seconds later, and closed and locked the door behind himself.

She nodded in appreciation. _Say what you will about Ranma, when he wants to, he can pay attention to detail_. She thought as she went to go sit down on her bedding and patted the bedding next to her to indicate she wanted him to join her.

When he had settled, she smiled at him. "I have two things to talk to you about."

He nodded and waited patiently. Like a student waiting for a teacher to tell them what to do next. _That isn't good. He can't rely on me for all his answers._ She thought absently and resolved to try to wean him off his sudden dependence on her for guidance, to a more healthy level anyway.

"Well, first let's talk about plans. Shampoo kind of forced our hand today for dealing with her. I never even got to tell you the plans." She said bemused.

"Plans?" He asked as he picked up on the plural.

_Oops_. She thought, chagrined. Since it was a moot point now, there wasn't really much point in going over them, and she was kind of embarrassed by the second plan she had come up with anyway. She tried to change the subject. "Yeah, but don't worry. What you did was basically the plan I figured we would use anyway, the direct confrontation. Now, about tomorrow--"

"What was the other plan?" He interrupted her curiously.

_Damn_. She thought as she looked at him hesitantly. _Why did I have to promise him to be honest this week?_ She thought, embarrassed. If he hadn't proved that he could tell when she was lying, she would lie right now. She sighed. "Fine, well, if you must know, the second plan was ... for you and I to run. We could go to Paris or Hawaii or somewhere else, and just duck out of all of this." She blushed as she said it. It had seemed more reasonable when she had been thinking about it while he was on his date with Akane and trying very hard not to have a nervous melt down.

"Oh ... I ... um ... " He stammered.

"Don't worry about it, Ranma. I didn't really think you would pick that plan anyway." She said as she looked at her hands nervously.

"It's just ... I don't know if I could run from everything, you know?" He said carefully.

"You ran from Shampoo in China." She reminded him.

"T-that's true ... but ... it was different then." He said quietly.

"I know, Ranma. I know. Just ... forget about it, all right? It wasn't the best example of a plan I could come up with. I had plan one worked out much better." She said as she continued to stare into her hands, embarrassed.

She heard him shuffle his weight next to her, and a moment later his warm hand was on hers. She looked up at him, and found him smiling at her. "It would be fun... to take a trip with you, though." He said quietly.

She smiled at him, grateful that he was being so kind about it, and not mocking her. "Maybe ... after this is all over?" She asked haltingly.

He nodded as he sat back down on his own bedding and let go of her hand. She felt the loss of his warmth more keenly than the situation really called for, and took a sharp breath to steady herself.

_Come on girl, get it together_. She berated herself as she turned to him and pulled their conversation back on track. "So, anyway, for tomorrow, did you want to deal with Ukyo or Kodachi? Or do you want to take a break?"

"Can we ... can we take a break?" He asked quietly.

She nodded. "Of course. How all of this gets handled is up to you. I just promised to help you do it."

He nodded. "All right, well after today with Akane and then Ryoga and Shampoo, it would be nice to take tomorrow a little more slow. At least for a day. Besides, I'm worried about what Shampoo is gonna do next. I don't want Ukyo or Kuno's crazy sister trying to kill me if Shampoo is after us as well." He said.

She smiled. "Fair enough. But, when tomorrow is over, who do you want me to have a plan ready for?"

"Ukyo." He whispered with pain in his eyes. "Can you ... can you figure out a way for her to be happy?" He asked in a miserable tone.

"I'll try, Ranma. I'll try." She said with as much confidence as she could muster. He wasn't exactly asking her to go get groceries. He was asking her to help him break someone's heart and have them be happy about it. She locked eyes with him and tried to communicate what she was feeling as best she could, silently. She could tell at least a little bit of it was getting through to him. That made her happy.

"So what was the other thing you wanted to talk about?" He asked quietly.

_Damn, he doesn't miss much when he's paying attention, does he?_ She thought as she tried to decide if she was going to go through with it tonight after all. Things were good between them right now. Really good. Incredibly good. _Why am I such an idiot?!_ She yelled at herself silently as he watched her.

She just sat and looked at him for a moment, wanting desperately to ask him what he was thinking, how his date with Akane had gone, if he loved her, really, _anything_ to delay what she felt she needed to do. _Stop it!_ She scolded herself. _Do what must be done._ She sighed inwardly and knew she had to. She wasn't happy about it though. _It's like I am_ trying _to throw him back to Akane_. She thought bitterly as she took a deep breath and locked eyes with him.

She smiled gently at him. She had to tell him, but she wanted to phrase it in just the right way. So she began with a question. "Ranma, what do you think one of the most important parts of a relationship is?" She looked down as she waited for his answer. _Wow, this already hurts more than I thought it would_. She thought in surprise as an ache of dread started to blossom in her chest and her heart rate increased as her breaths started to come more shallowly. She knew he would pick up on it, but she couldn't control it.

He spoke up after a longer pause than was comfortable had passed. "I ... I don't know, Nabiki."

She looked up at him and found him staring at her with expectant eyes. She smiled and figured she could give him this one, considering all of this stuff was just her opinion anyway. What was important to her wouldn't necessarily be important to someone else. "Trust," was all she said in answer to him. He continued to look at her expectantly, so she elaborated. "I want to be able to totally trust you, Ranma, and I want you to be able to trust me."

He smiled and reached for her hand, which she gave to him to hold. Feeling his warmth on her again made her shiver a bit with happiness. "But, I do trust you, Nabiki." He said as he smiled at her like he had just said something worthy of high praise. She supposed in a way that was true, as he was learning all of this on his own, and very quickly. He certainly hadn't learned it from his dad.

_But why do you trust me? I don't deserve it. Is it just infatuation?_ She thought to herself. Until recently, because he had been engaged to Akane, and hadn't been her responsibility or a real part of her life, she had frequently teased him and even exploited him. Well, his girl form anyway. She had put the brakes down hard on that behavior, but that had been very recently. He had no real reason to trust her. So, she gave voice to her fears. "Why ... why do you trust me?" She stared him in the eyes this time as she waited for his answer. This was important.

He looked off into space for a while as he thought about it, then shrugged. "I just do. In the past I didn't. But lately ... when I look at you, all I get from you is ... I don't know, it's hard to put into words, you know? All I know is, I don't think you would betray me."

_Damn him and his magical people-reading abilities._ She groused to herself. Unfortunately, his new found faith in her was going to make what she needed to say next, _much_ more difficult. "That's great ... I'm glad you trust me, Ranma ..." He could obviously hear the unspoken _but_ in her voice as she trailed off, because he winced. She summoned the strength to continue from the same pit she was pretty sure Kasumi was able to pull her endless smiles from. "Ranma ... you have been keeping your promise to me, and that makes me very happy. I want you to know that I am working on keeping my promise to you as well..."

He nodded to show that this wasn't exactly news to him.

She continued doggedly. "Ranma ... I don't want you to feel like you are bound by honor or duty to us. To any of us. It isn't fair to you ... or us." She said it quietly, in a voice just barely above a whisper. Her voice was shaking and he was looking at her and looking crestfallen, but she kept going anyway. "Ranma, since I hold your engagement right now, it's my responsibility. I want you to know ... that I release you. Nobody owns you, Ranma." She could barely get it out. Her voice seemed to be giving out on her to fight to prevent her from saying it, but she managed.

He just stared at her in confusion with hurt written all over his face. Finally, he asked the obvious question. "But, you said earlier you weren't breaking up with me... and you _just_ said at dinner--"

She smiled sincerely at him as she interrupted him. "You didn't do anything wrong, Ranma, and I am _not_ breaking up with you. What I am saying is that just because my daddy says one of us has to marry you, doesn't mean that _has to_ happen. What you want and what we want, also matters. Whether Daddy engaged you to Kasumi, or Akane or me wouldn't matter. Since none of us asked you, and you didn't ask us, it isn't a real engagement, it is a business transaction."

She could see the understanding growing in his eyes. So she pressed on quickly to get it all out before he interrupted with more questions. "So, what I am telling you is that if you want to marry me for real, you have to ask me, for real. Akane or Kasumi might have been fine with just the arranged marriage, but I'm not."

"Now, that being said," she held a hand up as he opened his mouth to say something, "as I told you earlier, I am happy to continue telling people we are engaged. I told you earlier that I would only do that for this week. But I have changed my mind on that. I will tell people we are engaged for as long as you want. However, if you want to switch the engagement back to Akane, well that will be between you and her. And ... if you want to switch it to Kasumi ... you're probably going to have to fight Doctor Tofu at some point."

She said that with a small smile and enjoyed watching his eyes bug out a little bit at that thought. She wondered if it was from the idea of thinking of Kasumi romantically, or from the prospect of fighting Doctor Tofu for her.

"And, if neither Akane or Kasumi will take you, and you never ask me, then yes I will still agree to marry you -- but it will be as a business transaction only. I would help you run the school, but we would lead our own separate lives."

"Nabiki-- " He said, confused.

She smiled at him and interrupted him to get the rest of it out before she lost her nerve. "So, if you want to marry _me_ and not have it just be a business transaction, then you need to _show me_ that you've figured out what you want, and _ask me_ , and ask me in a way that shows that you mean it, and aren't just asking me for the sake of the arranged marriage. I can tell the difference. It isn't enough to just tell the rest of the girls to stop hanging around and chasing you. At least, it isn't enough for me. I would bet that Akane would prefer it as well if you actually asked her to marry you. But I can't speak for her. As for me, those are my terms. I will still help you end things with the rest of the girls as I promised. I will still be honest with you, and I will still refrain from interfering with anything you do with Akane or any of the rest of the girls while you decide -- unless you ask me to interfere, of course. But afterwards, as far as I am concerned, we won't actually be engaged unless you ask me for real, and I accept."

She looked at him worriedly. He was just sitting there looking at her with a panic-stricken look on his face. _I just keep making his life more difficult, don't I?_ She thought sadly to herself. She squeezed his hand to reassure him. "That's all. I just wanted to let you know that. I wanted to be clear what I expect. If you want to actually be in a real relationship with me after this week is over, and not just tell people we're engaged to get them to leave you alone, then that is what needs to happen. Regardless, I think you should be free to choose, and I also think you should _actually ask_ the person who you want to marry. If you want to leave it as a business transaction, that is fine too. But if that is the case ... I would suggest you look harder at Akane or Kasumi then, as they might make you happier." She said the last part in a whisper as the dragon inside her tried to strangle her to shut her up.

He let go of her hand then, and she immediately used it to help her other hand pull her legs up to her chest so she could rest her chin on her knees and watch him. Her heart was hammering in her chest as she waited for him to respond. He was silent for several minutes as he looked down at the floor.

Finally, as the urge to cry peaked inside her as the silence grew longer, and she became convinced she had just ruined everything, he spoke in his own shaky voice. "I ... don't know what to say, Nabiki." He said hesitantly. He was still looking down at the floor. "You're right ... I think. But ... that's a lot to take in. A lot of stuff is changin' right now, ya know?"

She did know, but she stayed quiet and let him work it out. All she could do now was trust and hope. She had made it clear to him that Akane was going to be a much easier way out of everything for him, than she would be. He would have to work to be with her, but Akane, as far as he knew anyway, was just a word with Daddy away. He could be re-engaged to Akane tonight and that could be the end of it for him. She smiled bitterly at her own foolishness.

"I ... I have a hard time with this kind of thing. A-Asking someone to marry me ... I ... I dunno if I'm ..." He said quietly after a few more moments had passed as she silently went crazy waiting for him to tell her if she had just killed her chances with him.

She jumped in then and tried to encourage him. "What about in the hedge maze the other day? You seemed pretty brave then."

He nodded at that and looked up. "You're right. I felt like a different person then. I don't know exactly what was going on, but I think it had to do with trying to get you back, ya know? I was tryin' to say the kinds of things you'd said and tryin' to get you to feel like I had felt. It was kinda like a battle."

She nodded eagerly at that. "Yes, exactly, Ranma. Love _is_ like a battle. You have to fight for the one you want. And, you know what they say, _all's fair in love and war._ " She could tell she had grabbed his attention by phrasing it that way. The only way she could have been more leading was to say that _Anything Goes_ in love and war. She watched him carefully after she said that, and was happy to see him thinking hard.

"So, are we okay? You aren't mad at me, are you?" She asked after a minute had passed. _Oh please, oh please, oh please_. She chanted to herself as she tried desperately to keep her nervousness off her face.

He looked up at her and smiled. "No, Nabiki, I'm not mad at you. I'm learnin' a lot from you. Do you ... do you want to plan our date now?" He asked quietly.

She unclenched her hands from around her knees and let out the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding as she willed herself to keep from leaping on him and covering his face with kisses. "I would ... like that a lot ... actually." She said in a raw, shaky voice tinged with relief.


	22. I'll Just Know

[Here's a Holiday present for you all. Whatever you celebrate, I wish you peace and happiness. Thank you for reading ^_-  
Soundtrack for this one was the album **Launcher** by **LiSA** ^.^]

  


Nabiki's heart was racing, and her breath wanted very much to come in ragged gasps. It took her every gram of her iron willpower to prevent herself from doing that. She could tell she was shaking a bit as the adrenaline left her now that she had finished telling Ranma that she didn't really consider them to be engaged. Ranma was sitting across from her on the bedding in the guest room and looking at her as he patiently waited for her. He had asked her if she wanted to plan their date together. He had understood and accepted what she had told him she needed from him. She loved him for that.

She knew that setting terms for him to be in a relationship with her probably seemed to him like she was being overly demanding. But she wasn't willing to marry him for real just because of an arranged marriage. If push came to shove, she would keep her promise and marry him for the arranged marriage. But it would be a loveless marriage. If that happened, then as far as she was concerned they wouldn't actually be married, and she would lead her own life separate from him.

She didn't know if Ranma had it in him to be brave enough to not only choose just one person, but to also ask someone to marry him. In a lot of ways he was still very ignorant about feelings and social rules and proper behavior among people he wasn't fighting with. She knew she was asking a lot from him. But, this was the only way she knew how to do this.

So, while her nerves were frayed, and she was having to make an effort to control her breathing and heart rate, she was happy she had told him about her fears, and about what she needed from him in order to be with him. 

Mom had told her, just a little bit before she got sick, that she trusted Daddy. She had talked to her about boys that day because she had told Mom that she thought one of the guys in her class was cute. She couldn't even remember which boy, but she remembered what Mom had said after she had told her.

" _Nabiki, that's wonderful. Is he a kind boy? Do you trust him?_ " Mom had asked as she had sat next to her and rubbed her back and stroked her hair while they had talked.

She'd told Mom that she didn't know, all she knew was he was cute. Then Mom had frowned at her and told her the rules to use for boys. " _Boys, and later when you're older, men, can be a wonderful part of your life, Nabiki. Always remember though, that you should be searching for your partner, your equal. Cute is good, cute is nice. But cute isn't enough. The boy that will be for you will be someone you trust, completely. He will be kind to you. He will be the person that you want to be there when you are sad and when you are happy. He will be patient with you when you are angry. And while he may get angry with you, he will never say hateful things to you or be violent. He will be your friend, your confidant, the love of your life, and your rival._ "

She'd asked Mom why he had to be her rival too.

" _Because, sweetheart, the boy for my Nabiki is going to have to challenge you. I know you. Cute will be nice for you for a while, but in the end if he doesn't make you think, if he doesn't keep you guessing, if he can't hold his own with you and think on his feet and go toe to toe with you, then he will never be able to go the distance with you. You, my special girl, are too clever for just any boy. You are going to need a special boy. One who will cherish you, love you, honor you, and challenge you._ "

She had told Mom that she didn't think the boy in her class was all those things. Mom had laughed and told her that she would have been shocked if he was. She had asked Mom how she would know when a boy was the right one. Mom had leaned down and pulled her up into a hug and then held her out at arm's length as she had looked into her eyes and said words she would never forget.

" _You will know, because you will know. It is as simple as that. No magic test. No shooting stars. No signs from the heavens. You will just know. After I met your father, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was for me. The feeling grew over time, as I got to know him. I had been friends with lots of boys back then. I was dating a few of them, on and off. And quite frankly, I didn't think much of your father at first. I would tease him, and I would play games with him. He was very serious most of the time. Training, he was always training. But, over time, as we grew closer, my interest in the rest of the boys faded, and I found myself looking hard at your daddy. I realized that at some point I had started looking forward to when I would see him again. I had started looking for excuses to be with him, even though I still teased him. I would pretend to trip in front of him, just so he would catch me and hold me. I knew. I knew more certainly than anything else I had ever known in my life. It's that simple, baby. You'll know when you know._ "

She looked up into Ranma's eyes, and she played Mom's words back in her mind. And she knew. At least, she thought she knew. It scared her how much of what Mom had said applied now. She was pretty sure she knew, and it really was as simple as that.

She was exhausted. She normally stayed far away from all of this emotional type of stuff. As she was growing closer to Ranma, things were changing inside her. She was more emotional lately. She had cried more in the past few days, than she had since Mom had gotten sick. She didn't know what was going on, but she did know that she knew that Ranma was right for her.

Her heart wasn't racing anymore, and her breathing was under control. She knew it had been over a minute since she had said anything to Ranma. He was watching her carefully, like he was afraid of her. That made her unhappy.

She waved him over. "Ranma, can you come here, please?"

He nodded and scooted over next to her, and sat next to her nervously.

She reached over and pulled him into a hug as she rose up halfway on her knees so she would be a little bit taller than him. He flinched and then slowly relaxed into her. She closed her eyes as she sat next to him and hugged him. She rested her chin on the back of his neck and whispered to herself. "I just know."

"What do you know?" He whispered back.

"I know what my mom was talking about when I was a little girl." She whispered as she leaned against him and breathed him in. He was warm, and he smelled like flowery cedar wood. It was ... addicting. She wanted more of him, but she didn't know how. She was afraid to open herself up more than she already had. She felt like she was on the edge of something, and it scared her. Mom's words told her she should leap from the edge and trust him. She wanted to be able to do that. She wanted to so badly it was making her dizzy.

"Y-your mom? What did she talk about?" He asked quietly.

"You."

"Me? Did she know me when I was little?"

"I don't know. Maybe she did. I don't think so."

"Then how ... ?" He asked, confused.

She didn't answer him. She just hugged him and rocked back and forth with him for a while, and let herself be happy. He was very patient with her. He just sat there and let her hug him.

After a long while, she had no idea how long, she pulled away from him and pulled his head up gently by his chin so he would look at her. He stared up at her with his kind blue eyes. He was obviously flustered. But he just sat there and waited for her to say what was on her mind.

He was so near, and so warm, and so kind to her, and she trusted him. She felt herself falling into his eyes. She leaned forward to kiss him. The dragon inside her was perched on the edge of the cliff and had its wings spread wide to fly.

He leaned back from her gently with his eyes open wide.

She stopped and looked at him, hurt.

"Um ... but ... what about the promise? Don't I have to earn ... that?"

_God damn it! Why did I say that?!_ She screamed at herself. Her dragon turned back from the cliff and frowned at her, unamused. She pulled herself back from him shakily. "You are absolutely right, Ranma. Sorry, got carried away. Not feeling right." She smiled weakly at him.

"Want me to go get Kasumi?" He asked, worried.

_Oh, good going, real appealing, now he thinks you're sick. You idiot._ She berated herself.

"N-no, not sick, Ranma. Just ... feeling odd, you know. Like my center shifted out from under me, and I'm trying to find my balance again." She said with as much confidence as she could muster.

"Oh, like if your opponent goes for the leg sweep and you hop back to dodge it and land on something you didn't expect to move, and it does?" He asked eagerly.

"Yeah, sure, exactly like that." She smiled at him as she hooked some of her hair back behind her ear nervously. She was proud of him for honoring the promise even when she had obviously been perfectly willing to break it. _What is wrong with me?!_ She yelled at herself.

She wanted to change the subject, so she smiled at him and teased him. "You're too honest to be a master of the Anything Goes style, Ranma. You keep your promises too well."

"W-what?" He asked, as he scooted away from her and narrowed his eyes at her.

She smiled calmly. "Don't masters of the Anything Goes style have to be devious?"

"N-not, necessarily. I mean, sure, in a fight, you do what needs to be done to win. But ya don't have to be that way all the time." He said with confidence.

"Shouldn't you practice though, just like the rest of your moves?"

"Who says I don't?" He smirked at her.

"I do." She said as she stuck out her tongue at him.

"O-oh yeah?"

"Yeah." Then she added a challenge for him. "Go ahead, Ranma, lie to me, deceive me. Let's see a future master of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts in action." She didn't know why, but it was really important to her that he be able to do this. She put her chin in her hand, and braced her hand against her knee and watched him expectantly. She put up as calm a face as she could, but inside she was churning.

He flushed red for a moment, then ducked his head down in a nod, and looked back up at her and smiled. "I'm not sure I can show you secrets from our Order, Nabiki ... I'm not sure it's allowed..." He trailed off with a weak voice.

"I trained with my daddy from when I was a little girl, until I was twelve, Ranma." She whispered. She didn't like people to know that.

"O-oh, I didn't know ... well, I mean, you aren't a student right now though, but ... I guess its all right. You're part of the Order if you were a student." He said as he looked around the room nervously.

She smiled impatiently and waited for him to continue.

"A-all right, well, um ... let me think ... there's this one trick Pops taught me a while ago, before we went to China. I can use it to make the lights go out. I guess it could really help during a battle if done at the right time."

She nodded and waited. It was really rather fascinating to her that all of these things could be done by normal people who just trained hard and knew what to do. Ranma looked at her earnestly and smiled happily as he talked about his Art. He was in his element when he talked about the Anything Goes style.

"So, I just have to stand still for a moment, hold my hands like this, and gather my fighting energy into a ball in my hand. Then I ... _push_ ... I guess is how I would describe it, and if I concentrate on the energy of the lights, my fighting energy should cancel it out, and the lights will go out." He finished simply. He had been waving his arms around and making complicated gestures with his hands as he explained. It had been very detailed. She hadn't been able to follow it very well because he used terms she wasn't familiar with. She didn't know if a trick that made the lights go out qualified as deception, but at the moment she was more curious to see it in action than she was invested in making him deceive her.

"Show me." She whispered.

"All right." He said confidently as he stood up in the middle of the room. He stood with his hands at his sides and breathed deeply. Then he started waving his arms around like he had done earlier, but with more controlled purpose this time. She couldn't see his aura glow, but she could feel it. She felt waves of warmth streaming off him as he flowed gently in the pattern he had described earlier. It was really more like a beautiful dance than anything else.

He abruptly jabbed his hand straight up in the air and clenched his fist and uttered a little sound and stood there proudly.

The lights were still on.

"Um ... Ranma ... " she said gently, embarrassed for him.

"Yes?" He asked without looking at her.

"The lights are still on."

"No they aren't." He said with absolute confidence.

"Yeah ... they are." She said with a touch of annoyance. Some trick.

"I don't see how it could be more dark in here." He said like he was explaining that water was wet.

She sighed and got up and walked over to the switch on the wall. "Like this." She then flicked the switch, and the room flooded with darkness.

"Got you." He whispered right behind her as he touched her lightly on the back of the head.

She couldn't help herself, she jumped in surprise and twisted around fast as she yelped. He put his arms around her waist in the dark and held her loosely. She found her voice a moment later. "What do you mean you got me? Your trick failed. _I_ turned off the lights."

"Really? It failed? What did I tell you I could do?" He asked with quiet confidence. She could _feel_ him smiling smugly at her.

She played back what he had said in her mind. "You said you ... could use a trick ... to make the lights go out." She said as her jaw fell open in shock. He'd tricked her. She couldn't believe it.

"Yup." He said as she felt him nod.

"But, then ... what was with all that moving around? And I could feel you using your battle aura for ... something." She asked, curious now.

"I dunno, Nabiki. Two secrets in one night? You're gettin' kind of demandin'." He said happily as he pulled her in closer to him. Oh god, he was so warm!

"Well, since the first secret was a trick, it would only be one secret still, wouldn't it?" She poked his nose as she said it, to tease him.

"I guess so." He said hesitantly. Then she felt him lean his head down and lay it on her shoulder. A moment later he whispered directly in her ear. "That ... was the Saotome school of Anything Goes Martial Arts ..." he paused, letting her dangle on the hook, she couldn't help herself, she was actually anxious to hear what it was now, "...clothes drying technique." He finished in a serious tone.

Her brain hit a brick wall. "Wait, what?" She asked.

Ranma dissolved into laughter. He kept his head on her shoulder, and ... laughed quietly. She could feel him shaking with the laughter. It was infectious. She started to laugh with him. They both did their best to keep quiet, though. The walls in the house weren't that thick.

_I'll just know._

After several happy minutes passed with them giggling in each other's arms, she finally pulled herself back to the here and now. She couldn't believe it. Ranma had lied to her face, and she hadn't caught it. He'd had her so distracted with his tales of martial arts mastery, and his fancy hand motions, that she realized she hadn't even been watching for the usual signs of someone lying. She played the moments back in her mind, but as hard as she tried, she couldn't remember him giving any clues that he had been deceiving her. She was beyond impressed. He had come up with that on the spot, and had done exactly as she had asked, and tricked her.

_I'll just know._

She leaned forward into his arms and looked at him. Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness enough that she could see him roughly. He was looking at her and smiling. Oh god, this was serious. She couldn't stop grinning though. She had never been happier in her life to have been lied to.

_I'll just know._

"Ranma?" She breathed in a whisper even she could barely hear.

"Yes?" He asked quietly. Now that he wasn't talking about martial arts again, he was back to nervousness. That was all right, she could work with the raw material he had shown her.

"Let's plan our date."

"All right." He said in a happy tone of voice.

_I'll just know._

She put her hands on his chest and gently pushed on him, signaling him to let her go. He did so instantly. She leaned over on unsteady legs to the wall switch, and turned the lights back on, and turned back to face him. He was standing there with his hands behind his back, looking impish. He obviously enjoyed playing with her.

She swallowed nervously and walked over to him on wobbly legs she felt would give out on her at any moment. She took his hand and led him back to the bedding, and sat down with him. She couldn't help herself, she leaned over and breathed him in again. "You smell nice." She whispered. 

"And you ... smell ... great, Nabiki." He said nervously.

She looked up at him and smiled radiantly. She wasn't wearing any perfume or anything scented. He was just smelling her. So he was either lying, or he was ... _very special_.

_I'll just know._

She looked into Ranma's eyes for a moment, and just allowed herself to be content. She didn't know how everything was all going to turn out, but so far it had been a hell of a ride.

He looked back at her with uncertainty written all over his face.

She sighed and laid back into the bedding and closed her eyes for a moment. It was very tiring playing the dangerous little game they were playing. She called out to him softly without opening her eyes. "Ranma, can you turn the lights out, please?"

"Oh ... s-sure, Nabiki." He said as she heard him jump up and walk over to the wall and flip the switch.  
She felt the darkness descend on the room and smiled peacefully. She waited until he had returned to his own bedding before she spoke again. She didn't need to see his face right now, she wanted his imagination to be free, and whispering to him in the dark was the simplest way she could think of doing that.

"H-how ... did you want to sleep tonight?" He asked.

She thought about it for a moment, and tried to come up with a way that he would be near enough to her that he would be able to react if she was attacked in the night, but in a way that still kept things innocent between them. She wanted to try to keep herself detached from him until he made his decision.

_I'll just know._

"How about this..." She began as she spoke quietly into the darkness. In the dark, she could imagine him being much closer to her than he was. She could smell him, and it was like he was all around her. She smiled peacefully to the ceiling. "How about ... we put our beds right up next to each other, and you hook your ankle with mine. We'll still be sleeping in separate beds, and you should be able to feel it if something is wrong if you have your ankle around mine." _There, the perfect solution. Nothing is sexy about ankles and feet. We'll be in separate beds. Perfectly innocent and detached._ She thought happily.

He answered her by rustling around with his bedding next to her, then he pushed his bed next to hers and laid back down in it silently. She smiled. Once he was settled in, he hesitantly poked his right foot over and laid it gently over her left ankle.

She grinned and hooked her left foot up and wrapped it up next to his foot so they were twined together. She knew she would never be able to hold that position while she slept, but she wasn't worried. She had absolute faith in Ranma when it came to such things, she knew he would figure out a way to make it work.

Once they were settled in, and she had pulled her blanket over herself, she asked into the darkness a simple question. "What would you like to do during our date? Where do you want to go?" While she waited for him to respond, she imagined what it would be like to have him lying right next to her.

His voice came floating out of the darkness a moment later, closer than she had thought he was. "Well, anywhere is good. All I have planned so far is a surprise for you, but I can give it to you anywhere."

"Ooh, I love surprises. What is it?" She asked eagerly.

"I ... I thought you just said you liked surprises? You won't be surprised if I tell you now." He said, flabbergasted. 

"All right, let me rephrase, I love finding out what surprises are." She said happily as she stared up into the darkness.

"Well, tough. You're just gonna have to wait until our date to find out."

"You're mean." She pouted, playing with him.

"I am not!" He said defensively, but she could tell he wasn't being serious. She smiled. Then he asked her a followup question. "So ... what _would_ you like to do, Nabiki?" He asked curiously.

"I want you to have fun too, Ranma, I don't want to pick everything." She replied quietly.

"Okay, well what if I pick something and you pick something?" He asked hesitantly.

"Sure, are we going to go out to eat, or just do stuff?"

"Um ... let's do both." He said with a small smile.

"Okay, then I know a little place in the Chuo ward we can go."

"That's kind of far away." He said.

"I know, it's perfect, hopefully we will be able to escape the circus for a while." She said with a smile.

"All right, and I get to pick what we do after?" He asked.

"Yes ... but keep in mind, if it involves leaping over things, I am not going to be much fun." She said with a small smile that he couldn't see, but she trusted he could sense her mood from her voice.

"Don't worry, Nabiki, I think you'll have fun." He said confidently.

She smiled happily into the darkness. "Do I get to know what it is before we go?" She whispered.

"No, I want it to be a surprise."

"Another surprise? Or the same one?" She asked with a lazy smile on her face as she got closer to sleep and she stretched out luxuriously in her bedding. Ranma kept his ankle entwined with hers while she stretched. That made her very happy.

_I'll just know._

"Another one." His voice said from the darkness.

"All right Ranma. That sounds like a date to me. When do you want to go?" She whispered sleepily.

"Two days after tomorrow?" He asked her tentatively.

"You want me to wait that long?" She asked in a fake pout with a sleepy voice. Her eyelids were getting heavy.

"I need to pick up my surprise for you first. Then we can go. It'll be worth the wait. Trust me."

"I trust you, Ranma." She whispered into the darkness happily.

She was warm, and happy. She had a date with Ranma, and Ranma ... was ... very special. She was drifting off to sleep, safe next to him.

_I'll just know, indeed._

_Okay, so I think I found him, Mom ... now what?_


	23. I'm Sure I'm In trouble

Nabiki woke up slowly the next morning. The first thing she realized was that she was warm, very warm, almost too warm. The second thing she realized was that Ranma was wrapped around her and sleeping soundly. He had to be the source of the heat. He was also the source of the cedar and subtle flower scent she smelled all around her. She was sure she smelled like him now. That made her happy.

She enjoyed that he was so warm. She took stock of their sleeping situation without moving or changing her breathing pattern, so she didn't wake him up. She was under the blanket she had gone to sleep with. Based on how warm she was, she figured that Ranma had to be under his own blanket as well, as no heat was escaping anywhere. So, at some point in the night, they must have merged somehow.

Well, she had told herself that she had faith that Ranma would figure out how to make the sleeping arrangement work so he would know if she was attacked. _I ... wasn't wrong_. She thought with a smile. Her head was positioned higher in the bedding than she usually slept.

Ranma was resting his head in the middle of her back, so he must have slid down a bit during the night. He had his arms encircling her around her hips with his left hand resting on the flair of her right hip, and his right on her left. He had his left leg draped over both of her legs, while his right was pressed up close against her. His hands were resting on her bare skin, as her pajama top had also slid up a bit during the night, but not too far.

 _Well ... so much for keeping this all innocent and detached._ She thought to herself nervously. She wasn't nervous about him. She knew he would never hurt her. But, despite what she had told him last night, she actually _was_ a little bit worried about being found in a position like they were in at the moment. She considered waking him up and making sure nobody saw them like they were. But the dragon inside her growled at her.

She was warm and happy, and it was peaceful and quiet in his arms. She didn't get moments like this very often. So she relaxed her muscles and lay still in his arms, enjoying their time together. She tried to imagine what it would be like to be married to him.

She couldn't really enjoy those thoughts that much at the moment though, because her worry about Akane overshadowed all of that. Not only was she still worried that Ranma would eventually choose her younger sister, but she was also extremely afraid of what it would do to Akane if Ranma didn't choose his first fiancée.

 _Why does_ everything _in life have to be_ so _complicated?_ She thought miserably. I mean, sure, their situation really wasn't that complicated, lots of people want what they can't have. They will cry and move on. But, for Akane ... Ranma was her first love.

Ranma wasn't just some random high school boyfriend. Because of Daddy's meddling, Ranma had been promoted directly to fiancé and skipped over the boyfriend stage entirely. The weight of that title, that he hadn't earned from her, made everything so much more serious and hard to dismiss.

To top things off, Akane and Ranma had walked in on each other in the bath on the very first day they had met. That had set the embarrassed and strained tone on their relationship from the start. It hadn't helped that Ranma had been insulting about it, nor had it helped that Akane had overreacted to it.

The biggest problem between the two of them had been a combination of Ranma's lack of proper social training coupled with Akane's inability to be honest about her feelings. That plus the fact that both of them had fairly high levels of pride, and their relationship was pretty much guaranteed to include bickering like children ... or siblings. She didn't have any brothers, but she had friends with brothers. And Ranma certainly acted like her friend's brothers a lot, especially with Akane, especially when he was trying to annoy her and provoke a reaction out of her.

With her and Ranma, though, it was different. They hadn't started out on the wrong foot. They also hadn't started out thrown together and engaged against their wills. And, while she did have her own pride, she didn't let it control her life. She knew about Ranma's social issues, and she made allowances for them. Oh, she knew Akane did as well, but Akane seemed to forget about them when Ranma was annoying her.

Not that she blamed Akane, sometimes Ranma _was_ annoying. If one was to stoke the fires of Ranma's immaturity, one could quick see that he had _definitely_ been raised by his father, almost exclusively. Additionally, Akane didn't know it, but she had her own social issues as well. Mom's death had messed Akane up and made it very hard for her to be honest about her feelings.

 _Why am I thinking about Akane so much?_ She wondered. To quiet her mind, she leaned back slightly in Ranma's arms, and gloried in how right it felt. She knew that Ranma wasn't perfect. She knew that he wasn't her _soulmate_ or any other such nonsense. But she also knew that she felt good when he was with her. She liked to think that he was happy to be with her as well. _At least, I hope he does_. She thought. She didn't get to luxuriate in his arms for long though, because she felt him starting to stir behind her.

As he stirred, he called out from his dreaming. "—kane! Hang on! Akane! ... Akan— hold on!" He was getting more agitated, and she could feel his legs flexing like he was trying to run. So she quickly spun around in his arms and wrapped her own arms around him and tried to calm him down. Not only was she genuinely worried about the noise he was making, but she also didn't like that he was dreaming about Akane being in trouble. She rocked side to side with him and whispered soft nonsense noises to him to quiet him.

He did stop yelling almost immediately. But, she could tell he was waking up. _Oh well, nothing lasts forever_. She thought wistfully. She relaxed a bit before she realized that he now had his face buried into her navel, and his hands had shifted from around her hips to under her top and on her back. He nuzzled her as he slept and sighed deeply and contentedly as he held her even more tightly than he had been.

 _Well ... sure ... this is keeping things detached and innocent. Nothing anyone could raise an eyebrow to here or anything._ She thought sarcastically to herself as she blushed. She knew he wasn't doing anything on purpose, but this was the most intimate she had ever been with _anyone_ since she had been a little girl being held by her parents. And this was a completely different kind of intimate.

His breath on the hairs of her navel was tickling her. She really wanted to squirm, but she knew that would wake him up all the way, and when she thought of doing that, the dragon inside her looked back at her and scowled with an extremely disapproving face.

 _OK, well, I mean, this is nice and all, but it doesn't even count if he's asleep, and now my top has ridden up even further, and he has his face buried in my tummy. I really_ am _going to have to marry him if Daddy sees us like this._ She thought worriedly as she stroked his hair and held him.

It crossed her mind that he might be faking being asleep, and just using that as an excuse to nuzzle her. But, she really didn't care. It wasn't like he was groping her, he was basically just hugging her ... sideways. She smiled at that thought. And swatted the dragon inside her aside and willed it to behave itself as she started to stroke Ranma's hair more deeply as she rocked with him a little less soothingly as she brought him up gently from sleeping.

She knew immediately when he had woken up, because he stiffened in her arms like he had suddenly found himself standing at the edge of a cliff. In a way, he had. He was certainly standing at the edge of a new frontier with her. Although what he was probably the most afraid of was imagining Akane or Daddy's reaction to the position they were in. She was very happy they had locked the door last night. She decided not to say anything first, to see how brave he would be. Several moments passed with him not saying anything as she continued to stroke his hair and rock with him.

"I have no idea what's goin' on, but I'm sure I'm in trouble." He finally mumbled into her soft skin.

She smiled happily at that. She liked that he had chosen to respond to the situation with a joke. "You're not in trouble, Ranma." She said softly to him.

"All right ... well ... why are we— what am I—" He stammered with his face still pressed into her skin softly. The vibrations from him speaking with his lips pressed against her tickled, and now that he was awake, she let herself squirm happily.

She looked up to the ceiling and smiled lazily as she decided what to do, then shrugged and pulled on his jaw to lift him up higher. As she did so, she wiggled downward so they could more or less meet in the middle. She let go of his head then and pulled her top all the way back down so she wasn't showing her tummy any more. Ranma was now at her eye level. He still had his arms around her, and they were still in bed together.

 _So, you know, all in all, a net positive_. She thought happily to herself.

 _I'll just know_.

He looked into her eyes with a trace of confusion and embarrassment on his face, but it was fading. "How did we..." He trailed off as he shifted his eyes from hers and looked at her chin in embarrassment. It was sweet that he couldn't even get the words out.

She answered his unspoken question. "I don't know. I woke up with you wrapped around me." She couldn't help herself, she had to go for the joke. "You're quite the little Romeo." She added with a small smile as she reached up with one hand and poked him in the nose teasingly.

He frowned at her as he looked back into her eyes. "I am not. I ... " He looked away again and blushed.

"You ... what, Ranma?" She asked gently as she smiled. She knew she shouldn't enjoy it so much when he was flustered, but she did.

"I ... I didn't mean to ... I'm so—"

She interrupted him. "You don't need to apologize, Ranma. Do I look mad?" She asked him with a trace of annoyance. She had been hoping he was going to say something ... else.

He shook his head no.

"I would like you to explain one thing, though." She added in a playful tone.

He nodded nervously.

"Why do you dance while you're sleeping?"

"I ... I dance?" He asked, incredulous.

"Yes." She said in a deadpan voice as she held his gaze. "It was very entertaining. I thought about taking pictures."

"I...I...I... I dunno. Pops never said anything about me doin' that I—"

He trailed off as she started laughing. It was a quiet laugh, but he clued in then that she had been joking. He scowled at her. "I'm gonna have to get you back for that." He promised.

She grinned at him for an answer. _You'd better_. She added silently.

"Well ... should we ... get up?" He asked softly.

She sighed and nodded. Then she added a request, mostly on a whim, but also just because she was curious if he could do it. "But you have to hold me until you're standing."

He looked at her blankly and blinked in surprise. Then he nodded. "Sure," was all he said. Then she felt his arms tense around her as he quickly shifted his weight under himself. She was briefly in a sitting position as he pulled her into his lap while he moved his arms so one was under her legs by her knees and the other was wrapped around her back and shoulders. Then he popped up to his feet effortlessly and stood there proudly while holding her. He was very strong. She smiled gleefully and kicked her legs like a kid at an amusement park and squealed happily. "Again, again!"

He smiled at her but didn't move. The cold morning air in the room was hitting her skin now, and she shivered. But it was all right, because he was holding her, and his warmth was making the transition less abrupt than most mornings usually were. She turned in his arms and looked at him and shivered again. But not because she was cold.

 _I'll just know._ She kept repeating Mom's words to herself as she looked at him. She was scared, and she was happier than she could ever remember being.

He set her down gently but kept his arms around her waist. She reached up languidly and wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into him as she sighed happily. She didn't want the moment to end. She knew that Daddy was going to have the wall of her room fixed today. So last night had been their last night together. Unless ... he chose her. She bit her lower lip as she looked up at him and tried to control her fears. She shook her mind away from those thoughts. Those thoughts led to doubt which led to pain. She didn't want to dwell on her doubts, she wanted to be in the moment and to make memories with him. That way ... that way when he chose Akane, at least ... at least she would have her memories.

 _Good job not dwelling on your doubts_. She chided herself. She knew her emotions were flashing across her face, despite her efforts to hide them from him. He could read her, so she didn't even know why she bothered. He was looking at her with worry etched on his face.

"You all right?" He asked her as he pulled her in a little closer.

"I'm fine. Just don't like getting up in the morning." She lied. She could tell he knew she was lying, but he was gracious enough to leave it alone. "Well ... shall we?" She asked, as she readied herself to face the day and loosened her arms from around him.

He mimicked her movements, and loosened his own grip on her. Both of them took a step back and their hands slid down until they were just holding hands. The dragon inside her was pushing frantically up against the back of her and determinedly trying to make her kiss him, but she ignored it.

Finally, she sighed and let her hands drop from his. He looked at her curiously. She knew he was trying to figure out what she was thinking. Mentally she stuck her tongue out at him. He might be able to read her when she was showing signs on her face and with her body language. But, he couldn't read her mind.

 _Good thing too, or the poor boy would probably go blind_. She thought with a smirk which she let appear on her face. Ranma just looked at her, even more confused. She was all right with that. _Always keep them guessing_. She said to herself. It was one of her personal mantras.

"See you at breakfast?" He asked he as she stepped backwards from him.

"Of course, and we can walk to school together, if you want." She said with a small smile on her face. He nodded to her. She continued to smile as she backed towards the door, reached behind herself and fumbled for the lock, then opened it, stepped through, and slowly closed it. She didn't break eye contact with him until she closed the door between them.

 _Perfect_. She thought to herself happily. That had been a perfect moment. It had been sweet, and full of promise and desire and everything else she didn't have words for yet. She smiled happily to herself and turned around to go to her room to get clothes for the day, and froze.

Akane was standing in the hall looking at her with a crestfallen face. She had obviously been crying. Her little sister was frozen in place in the position she had been in as she had been exiting the bathroom. She was still in her pajamas and she was positioned like she had been walking back to Kasumi's room.

 _Well ... crap_. She thought as she swallowed nervously. She knew she had to have a talk with Akane, but she didn't know what to say. She had made a promise to Ranma not to interfere with him and Akane during the week of their promise. Anything she said to Akane would be tainted not only by Akane's resentment and jealousy, but also by her own desires for Ranma to pick her.

Still, she thought she should try to at least help Akane calm down. "Akane ... I—" She started to say.

"How could you?" Akane whispered, interrupting her, while obviously fighting to keep herself from crying. Before she could react to what Akane had said, her little sister spun on her heel and walked quickly to Kasumi's room. She opened and closed Kasumi's door quietly, and didn't look back at her.

She stood in the hallway for a moment just staring at Kasumi's door sadly. _Well ... that could have gone better._ She thought, chagrined. Then she shook herself mentally and physically and forced herself to walk to her own room. _I love you, Akane, but I can't stop now. If you want him, you are going to have to take him from me._ She thought with iron resolve.

She took a deep breath and steeled herself to brace for the cold in her room, then yanked her door open. Even though she was ready for it, the cold still took her breath away. She shuddered and hurried into the room, yanked open her dresser, grabbed a clean school uniform, her underthings and a shirt, and hurried out of her room. She kicked the door closed behind her as she continued to hurry across the hall with her things. She wanted to get into the bathroom before she ran into anyone else again.

"Nabiki?" She heard Kasumi's voice just as she reached the door to the bathroom.

 _So close._ She lamented to herself as she seriously considered pretending she didn't hear, as her hand met the cold metal of the doorknob. Then she sighed and turned her head slightly to face her older sister. Kasumi was hurrying over to her, but didn't look overly concerned or alarmed. She didn't say anything to her, she just raised an eyebrow and waited for her older sister to speak.

Kasumi stopped and stood right behind her with a strained look on her face. A moment passed and neither of them spoke as her older sister's eyes scanned her face. Finally, Kasumi said what was on her mind. "Akane isn't ... doing so well." She said quietly.

She nodded. "I know."

"It's about Ranma."

"I know." She said with a frown. Kasumi wasn't really going to try to ask her to give him up, was she? Especially after what she had done at dinner last night?

"I ... I just thought, you should know ... Akane ... hasn't given up on him."

"I know." She said, sadly. "Is she going to fight for him?" She whispered.

Kasumi shrugged. "We talked last night. A lot. She cares for him ... deeply. She doesn't want to let him go. But, she is still afraid of talking about her feelings publicly."

"Her words, or your words?" She asked carefully.

"My words. But the sentiment was there." Kasumi said softly.

"Well, thanks Kasumi, but I already knew that Akane wasn't over him." She smiled and turned her head back to the door to enter the bathroom. She stopped when she felt Kasumi's hand dart out and rest gently but firmly on her shoulder. She didn't turn back around to face her, but she stopped to listen.

Kasumi leaned in and put her mouth next to her ear and whispered. "If you love him, it's now or never. Don't let up, and don't back down. Fight, fight like its your life on the line. I ... I made the mistake of not fighting for the one I loved years ago, and I don't think I'll ever get the chance again that I had then." Her sister whispered sadly to her.

She turned back and looked at Kasumi. Her sister's smiling mask was still mostly firmly in place, but it had slipped around her eyes. She saw pain, dread, longing and regret in Kasumi's eyes.

"Akane loves him too." Was all she could think to say as she whispered back.

Kasumi shook her head emphatically at that and whispered with heavy emotion in her voice back to her. "Not like you, Nabiki ... not like you. I can tell the difference between puppy love, and real love. I remember it from watching Mother with Father. And I've felt it myself, once, when I missed my chance."

She recoiled at that and looked at Kasumi with entirely new eyes as she turned around again from the door. She was sure the love Kasumi was talking about was Doctor Tofu ... wasn't it? But what chance was she talking about that she had missed? She had never heard anything about that. She wanted to ask Kasumi about it, but out in the hallway outside the bathroom was neither the time nor the place.

"I plan to fight, don't worry." She whispered and gave her a wink. She started to turn towards the bathroom again, but Kasumi's voice stopped her.

"Mom used to say ..." she turned back and looked at Kasumi, "... Mom used to say to me that it would be easy to tell when I had met the right person. She told me—"

"—That you would just know."

"—That I would just know." Kasumi finished as she said the same thing with her. Kasumi's eyes widened. Her older sister must have realized she was quoting Mother as well.

She shivered as the meaning hit her. Mom had been training them to help them find the right person. It made her very happy that Mom had given her the same advice that she had given Kasumi.

"That's right, Nabiki. That's what Mom used to say. Did she tell you that too?"

She nodded quickly. She didn't trust her voice with the emotions running through her right now.

Kasumi smiled. "I didn't know what Mom meant when she told me that. And then I forgot about it. By the time I remembered, it was too late. I _had_ known, but I missed my chance by playing games and waiting for signs and doing other foolish things." She whispered sadly with tears in her eyes. "Mom ... never got to tell Akane that. At least, I don't think she did. I should have ... I should have told her, when she was much younger..." Kasumi's voice caught as she fought to stop herself from crying.

She looked at her in a panic. Kasumi didn't cry. Kasumi never cried. She felt the rock that she had built her world on starting to crumble a little bit. Kasumi looked down for a moment and took a deep breath. Then she looked back up and her mask was firmly back in place. It was even covering her eyes again.

"I should have told Akane, before she reached junior high. Just like Mom did for me, and, for you too."

She nodded her head. She had been in second grade when Mom had told her the rules for boys.

Kasumi smiled. "Mom must have only given her advice on boys when she thought we needed it. I was in fourth grade when Mom told me. I had just told her I had a crush on a boy in my class."

She looked up at Kasumi sharply then, which startled her sister into silence for a moment. That had been ... _exactly_ the time period that Mom had told her the same thing, and under almost identical circumstances. Had mom known she was running out of time? Had Mom known even then?

Kasumi continued her sad whisper. "I ... I failed Akane. I have to make it right."

She shook her head. "You didn't fail her, Kasumi. It wasn't your responsibility to raise us."

"If not me ... then who?" Kasumi whispered back with unshed tears swimming in her eyes.

She couldn't take it any more. She dropped her clothes and pulled Kasumi into a fierce hug. Kasumi hugged her back just as fiercely. "Thank you, Kasumi ... for trying. Mom would be proud of you." She whispered to her older sister.

Kasumi shuddered in her arms as she fought back the tears. A moment later she whispered back to her. "Mom would be proud of you too, Nabiki. You never give up." Kasumi stroked her hair as she held her.

"I love you too, sis." She said as she hugged her older sister.

"I have to tell Akane what Mom told us."

"I know."

"Things might change..." Kasumi replied in an uncertain voice.

"That's all right, I can handle change."

 _Can I?_ She thought in trepidation as she slowly came to terms with the idea of Akane fighting hard for Ranma.

"You smell like Ranma." Kasumi added in an approving tone.

"I know." She said happily in her older sister's arms.


	24. Losing Patience

Nabiki was off her center. But, that was nothing new. She had been off her center since Akane had broken the balcony and she had ended up in Ranma's arms. After her talk with Kasumi she was more certain than ever that she was on the right path, she just had to keep fighting.

 _Akane is going to fight too_. Her doubts reminded her.

 _That's all right, I'll fight harder._ She promised herself.

 _He loves Akane more than you._ Her fears taunted her.

 _I don't know that. He might, but I can't just give up._ She thought sternly.

 _He's going to pick Akane._ Her insecurity predicted.

 _Enough!_ She yelled to herself silently as she sent in her dragon and had it sweep her thoughts clean.

She was gripping the edge of the sink in the bathroom staring at herself in the mirror. She looked well rested. She looked young and beautiful. _Just as young and beautiful as Akane_. She thought defensively.

 _What is the matter with you?! Akane isn't even a whole year younger than you. She's ten months younger. Get a grip, you freak._ She berated herself as she sucked in a deep breath through her mouth and slowly let it out through her nose.

She looked at herself in the mirror again and thought she looked good, damn good. Even though she was incredibly nervous to have to fight against Akane for Ranma, she couldn't stop smiling. She kept replaying Mom's words in her mind as her certainty grew about the path she was on.

The fact that Mom had told Kasumi the same thing at roughly the same time told her that Mom hadn't just been telling her something to make a silly little girl calm down. Mom had been training them. It had been important. She was sure of it. Unfortunately, Mom had been taken from them before she could complete the training. She knew what to look for to find the right person. But ... she didn't know what to do once she found him.

 _I guess I'll just have to wing it ... like I always do_. She thought, determined.

She tucked her hair back behind her ears, and smiled. She felt like she was glowing. If she concentrated she could almost see a very faint little shimmer of a golden light surrounding her. She was sure it was her imagination, but she liked the idea of it. She had read the romance books just like the rest of the girls had. She had always said they were ridiculous. But secretly ... secretly she had always wanted to love someone so much that she glowed with happiness. If she felt like this now as her feelings for him grew, she couldn't even imagine what it would be like if he loved her back. She shivered with fear and longing for that to happen.

She scrunched her nose up as she stared at herself in the mirror, and stuck her tongue out at herself.

 _First, date. Then the circus. Then, if he picks me, the rest._ She ordered herself.

She nodded smartly to herself and headed to the shower. She washed up quickly as she planned for the day. She felt a bit sad that she was washing away Ranma's scent, but there was nothing for it.

 _He'll just have to hold me again so I can get it back._ She thought happily.

She dried herself and dressed quickly, and styled her hair. She even put on lip gloss and a little eye liner. She was feeling like being a bit done-up today. Then she tossed herself a smile in the mirror and headed downstairs.

Daddy and Mister Saotome were asleep in the room off the entryway, laying across each other. Doctor Tofu was meditating in the dining room. Ranma was outside training in the yard like he usually did in the mornings. Kasumi was fussing around in the kitchen like she usually did.

Akane was not doing what she usually did. She was standing out in the yard by the koi pond, watching Ranma. She was wearing her school uniform already and had her hair styled as well. She looked very cute. Her younger sister was standing with her hands clasped behind her back and watching Ranma peacefully with a small smile on her face.

Ranma was ignoring everything and just working on his training. He was doing his usual routine of alternating punches and kicks on a post wrapped with rope. She knew that doing that built up stamina and endurance, not to mention toughness of his hands and feet. But, she really couldn't imagine doing that to herself.

 _I suppose if I started off with something softer and built up to it._ She thought as she considered it. It was funny, she was now looking at what Ranma did as something she was _going to do_ instead of something she _used to do._

She walked to the edge of the porch of the dining room and watched him as well for a little bit. He was very graceful, and powerful. Akane never took her eyes off him. She thought about going over and talking to her, but she didn't think that now was the best time.

She sighed and went and sat at the head of the table so she could keep an eye on the yard. With Daddy passed out from staying up all night, she didn't feel bad taking his spot.

Kasumi served breakfast a few minutes later. That brought Ranma into the house almost immediately. Akane followed him and sat opposite him at the table. As she passed her, Akane smiled and greeted her warmly. "Good morning, Nabiki." Akane seemed like she meant it, she couldn't detect any sarcasm or anger in her tone.

"Morning, sis." She replied with a cautious smile.

 _I wonder why Akane is in such a good mood._ She thought as she watched her settle in and begin to eat.

She decided not to dwell on it, and bolted down her own breakfast. When she was done she just sat there and watched Ranma eat and tried not to fidget nervously. He was eating rather leisurely today. He was also keeping his eyes down on his food for the most part. He did glance up occasionally at her and Akane, though.

 _I wonder if he is enjoying this, or if this is super awkward for him?_ She thought as she watched him eat and tried to avoid staring.

She didn't have much time to think about it, though, as Ranma set his bowl down at that point and looked up at her.

"Ready to head to school, Ranma?" She asked him. He nodded at her without looking at Akane.

She could see Akane looking at him out of the corner of her eye, and she had to admit she was happy that Akane was being shut out. She was also ashamed that she was reveling in her sister's pain.

She brushed those thoughts aside as Ranma stood up. He smiled and walked towards the front door where his satchel was. She followed him on light feet. Akane stayed behind at the table. The dragon inside her wanted her to stick her tongue out at Akane. She ignored it.

A moment later she was jogging behind Ranma to school. He was setting an easy pace, which she appreciated. He was also running along beside her instead of up on the fence, which she also appreciated. It was a symbolic thing, but she had to admit that it did matter to her.

She was starting to pant a little as they continued to jog. She didn't have the kind of endurance that he or Akane had. She was thinking about asking him to slow to a walk as they rounded the next street corner, and she gasped.

Standing in the walkway was Shampoo and the old ghoul. Shampoo was smiling longingly at Ranma, but the old ghoul had eyes like carved glass, and no hint of any kindness showed on her face.

Ranma immediately stepped fully in front of her and threw his hands out wide in a defensive posture as he started backing up and herding her away from them.

She knew he didn't want to fight both of them, especially if he had to protect her at the same time. For the millionth time since she had accepted the engagement to him, she wished she hadn't stopped training in the Art. _Feh ... while I'm wishing for things, I would also like the Swiss bank number of Minister Murayama._ She thought sarcastically.

She couldn't help herself, she had to say something. "Shampoo, could we please talk about this later? Preferably over a nice cup of tea?" She honestly didn't understand why all of these things seemed to need to be solved with fighting.

Shampoo looked back at the old ghoul, who nodded very slightly. Then without warning Shampoo launched herself at her. Before she even realized what was happening, Shampoo had dodged around Ranma and had thrown a hooking punch at her head. Ranma leaned and slapped back hard and grabbed Shampoo's hand out of the air and held it in a clenched fist before it hit her. She could tell he was squeezing Shampoo's fist tightly, because his knuckles were white.

Shampoo didn't show anything outwardly that she felt what he was doing as she continued to strain against him to get to her. She stuck her tongue out at the Amazon. She knew it wasn't the most mature thing to do, but she couldn't help herself. The whole situation was ridiculous and very frustrating.

 _Whoops, that was a mistake_. She thought immediately as Shampoo's face changed from a blank mask to an enraged rictus. Shampoo switched from trying to overpower Ranma's hold on her to trying to throw a punch with her other hand.

Ranma responded by throwing the hand he had caught down as he brought his other hand up and parried the new attack while he snapped a kick out to the back of Shampoo's knee out and drove her to the ground in a spin. At the same time, he pulled her back with his other arm out of harm's way.

He wrapped her close to him and she ended up basically hugging him as he leaped backwards and landed on top of the fence next to the canal they had been walking next to. She just clung to him, there wasn't much else she could do. She could tell by the feel of him that he was gathering his strength to run. With her with him, he had no hope of taking them both on.

Shampoo slowly regained her feet. When she looked up again, her blank mask was in place again. When she looked at Ranma, though, it cracked as her longing for him showed quite easily to anyone practiced at looking for the signs. She was one of those people. Shampoo took a few steps towards them, then stopped abruptly when the old ghoul snapped her fingers.

A moment later the old lady was perched on top of the fence just outside of striking range of Ranma. The sudden position change shocked her, and she grabbed on to Ranma tighter in a fright reflex. _How the hell do they move so fast?_ She thought incredulously. She felt Ranma twitch his muscles briefly as he registered the old ghoul's position change as well, but he didn't change his position. He had obviously determined that the old crone wasn't trying to attack them at the moment.

The old woman held her hand up with a closed fist, and she watched with raised eyebrows as Shampoo bowed, then bent her knees and leaped to the nearest roof and continued onward and away from them. Shampoo locked her eyes on Ranma sadly as she jumped away. Nabiki recognized the pain in those eyes. She had felt that pain.

"Well ... grandson-in-law ... it seems like things have changed." The old woman said softly, which brought her attention back to the tribal elder. If they had been standing on the sidewalk, she would have insisted that Ranma put her down by now. But since they were still standing on top of the fence there weren't better options. _Well, okay, he's standing, I'm being held,_ she groused to herself.

"Things haven't changed that much." Ranma replied carefully.

"Oh, but they have." The old woman said in a voice completely without warmth. "Since you have switched your engagement to a different member of the Tendo family, the leeway I was willing to give you with regard to your defiance of the laws of the tribe has all but run out. Shampoo had talked me into letting her try to woo you, since she had been convinced that you had been in love with the youngest Tendo, and she with you."

She paused for a moment and shook her head in disapproval. "For the Joketsuzoku it is ... frowned upon ... for an Amazon to take a man from another Amazon, if they are in love. Shampoo had convinced me to extend to the littlest Tendo an honorary classification of Amazon in this case. While Akane would not do well at her current skill level in our tribe, I agreed that she does have the heart of a warrior and she fought like one. I also agreed that it was obvious that she and you had feelings of love for each other. The fact that you both protested your love made it easier to grant Shampoo's request. Surely if you ever had broken up, you would then have done the right thing and married Shampoo according to our laws."

She stared hard at Nabiki for a moment before she continued addressing Ranma. "The fact that you not only have broken your engagement to Akane, but that you have simply traded her in for one of her weakling sisters, and ignored Shampoo's honorable claim on you, has broken my patience with this whole situation."

" _Your_ patience?!" Ranma jumped in, clearly aggravated.

"Yes, _my_ patience." The old woman said in a mocking tone mirroring Ranma's. Nabiki was getting furious. The old woman continued before she or Ranma could interrupt again. "I am not willing to extend honorary Amazon status to any of the rest of your suitors, son-in-law, including the rest of the Tendo girls. I will give you to the end of today to come to terms with that. I would like to see you at our restaurant this evening. You may bring your current fiancée or any other ... friends ... you wish. I am granting you forty eight total hours of time to think carefully about everything, starting now. During this time, I will guarantee that no Joketsuzoku will attempt to do any harm to you or the Tendos, on pain of death to that person, should they disobey me. However, after your forty eight hours are up, my patience will be completely gone, as will the guarantee of safety.

She felt the fence they were standing on shudder as something impacted it. The elder Amazon looked past Ranma for a moment and frowned, then returned to addressing Ranma as if nothing had happened.

 _Someone else must be here_. She concluded. _Maybe Daddy?_ She thought. She wanted to turn and look, but she didn't want to unbalance Ranma right now.

"Think carefully on your choices in the coming days, son-in-law." The Joketsuzoku Matriarch stated in a flat tone as she stared at him hard for another few heartbeats, then she was gone, just like that. Her peripheral vision picked up a trace of blurred motion along the same path Shampoo had used as she left, and then even that was gone.

Ranma's head followed the elder Amazon's motion for a bit longer before he unclenched and hopped down from the fence with her. As soon as they landed, he let her down so her feet touched the ground. She was still pressed up against him as he held her, though. He had his shoulder turned in the direction the Amazons had left and he was cradling her in a protective hold with his chin tucked down over her head.

She encircled his waist with her arms and leaned her head against the silky shirt on his chest and closed her eyes and allowed herself to be scared for a moment as the heat of him enveloped her. Then she summoned her willpower and put steel in her backbone.

"I'm not worried about them, Ranma." She said confidently as she looked up at him while still resting her head on his chest.

"Really? I am." He said in a nervous tone into her ear. His mouth was very close to her ear in the position he was in with her.

"You scare too easily." She said as she nuzzled his chest and closed her eyes again.

"Yeah, I notice that you're still holding on to me." He said softly.

"Shush, you." She said with a false scolding tone. She leaned her head back and looked at him crossly. "Don't you know it's impolite to point out when a lady is lying?"

He stuck his tongue out in answer to her. She loved that he was starting to feel comfortable enough with her to tease her and be flippant with her. She wanted to encourage that behavior, so she leaned into him and sighed happily as she smiled up at him. She wanted to send him very positive signals when he did things she liked.

_I'll just know._

He smiled back at her nervously. She knew he didn't like to do these kinds of things in public. So she leaned her body back from him so she was just standing loosely in his arms again in a casual hug.

Now that she had done so, she could lean over and see who had arrived. It was Doctor Tofu. He was standing on top of the fence a few paces behind where Ranma had been. He was looking in the direction the Amazons had headed off towards. He looked like he normally did, kind and smiling face, relaxed body position and neutral stance. The only things different were his eyes. 

His eyes had a dark glint in them. His eyes spoke of someone who was ready, willing and able to run to the edge, leap into the abyss, and keep fighting, no matter the cost. His eyes showed someone who had seen the abyss looking back at him, and didn't care. She had never seen his eyes look like that.

A moment later his eyes cleared as he registered she was looking at him, and he softened his gaze and returned hers with a smile.

"Don't worry, Nabiki. Everything is going to be okay." He said kindly in a low tone.

She nodded. She knew that with Ranma and Doctor Tofu guarding her, even the Amazons would have a very hard time getting to her. It made her crazy that she had to be guarded though. She both wanted to start immediately training again herself, and at the same time to call the police and just let them handle the Amazons.

 _But what are the police going to do? These people can move faster than my eyes can follow. And I've had at least_ some _training in the Art. If I can't follow them when they move fast, the police would have no hope of aiming at them with a gun or a net. Better to just let Ranma and the rest of them handle them._ She concluded glumly.

 _Although, I could call immigration and have their little restaurant shut down_. She thought darkly and felt better, even though she knew it wouldn't solve anything. If anything, it was helpful that there was a known location that they had a high degree of confidence of finding the Amazons at or near.

"Aren't you two going to be late for school?" Doctor Tofu asked, interrupting her thoughts.

She looked at her watch and grimaced. "He's right," she said with mild alarm. Compared to staring down a pair of angry Amazons, being late for school just didn't pack the same punch.

"I guess we should get going." Ranma said carefully.

"Don't worry, you two, you have more friends than you may realize. Things will be fine. Now get moving, I asked Akane to wait to leave for school until I could take her, I need to get back to her so she can get there on time as well."

They both nodded. Tofu immediately bounded away back towards the house, while she and Ranma turned towards the school and started jogging again. Instead of just jogging next to her, though, he was now holding her hand as well.

 _I'm sure he can justify that with some Martial Arts reason, if I asked him_. She thought happily.

They reached the school in what felt like no time. They weren't even tardy. They slowed to a normal walk once they passed the gates. She looked over at him cautiously, wondering if he'd let go of her now that they were in school. He didn't. She blushed a little bit at the public display of affection, but she certainly wasn't going to make him let go. She could see plenty of people noticing them together and whispering excitedly about it, but she didn't care

She even smiled radiantly when two of her friends, Riko and Yui passed them and raised their eyebrows at them. She knew it was a little thing, and she knew in Ranma's mind he was holding on to her to help protect her. But it was still very nice to have him essentially proclaiming his interest in her at the school.

They walked up the stairs together and stopped at the landing near Ranma's classroom.

"You going to be okay?" He asked her with concern in his voice.

"Sure I will, Ranma. You're not that far away from me, so I'm positive you would hear it if someone was after me. Plus, you heard what Doctor Tofu said, we have more friends than we might think. Doctor Tofu doesn't say things like that for no reason. I'm sure things will be fine." She smiled at him as she reached for his other hand and held both of them together as she swung them back and forth happily.

"Okay ... just yell if you're in trouble." He said in a worried tone.

"Trust me, Ranma. If someone is trying to kill me, I am going to make some noise." She said with a wink. "Would you like to eat lunch with me and my friends today?" She asked in a voice she hoped didn't sound too hopeful.

"S-sure, Nabiki. I can guard you wherever you want to go." He said agreeably.

"Not guard, just eat. If you want to go eat with your friends or with Akane, or even by yourself, that's fine too. You don't need to spend every moment with me, and you don't need to guard me at school. I have resources here I can use if I need to." She said confidently.

 _Now ... how fast those resources could get to me ... that's another thing entirely_. She admitted to herself. She didn't want to tell him that though. She didn't like him thinking the only reason to be with her was to protect her. It was sweet that he was so loyal and protective, but they had to have more than that to build a relationship on.

"Oh ... okay ... sure, yeah ... sure I can eat with you and your friends. It's not like I had any plans for today or nothin'." He said with a growing tone of confidence.

"All right then, I'll see you at lunch out by the smaller tree back by the sports fields. You know the one that overhangs the bench?"

"Oh, yeah, I know that one." He said with a smile and nod.

"Great, see you then, Ranma." She said as she started backing away from him. Their hands stretched out and went horizontal as they kept their grip on each other as long as they could before they both finally let go. She walked backwards for a few steps and kept her eyes on him as she tried to control her expression. She didn't want him to think she was anguished to be parting from him. Mostly because she wasn't, but also because she didn't want him thinking of her as some fawning silly school girl who was obsessed with him.

A moment later she turned around as he reached the door to his classroom and went inside. She turned the corner and found Riko and Yui waiting for her. Both of them were giggling and hiding their mouths behind their hands as they looked at her with moony eyes and fluttered eyelashes.

She grinned at them. "Jealous?" She taunted as she hooked arms with both of them and almost skipped to her own classroom.

"Oh, totally. You need to start sharing, Nabiki, like, immediately." Riko said as they walked.

"I won't tell you everything, but okay ladies, here's the story." She began happily as she walked to class with her friends.


	25. Trial By Fire

Nabiki arrived first at the little tree she and her friends ate lunch under. She hadn't run there. But she had power walked. She couldn't help it, she was excited.

She sat down on the bench and waited there as calmly as she could as she kicked her feet under the bench playfully. The breeze was blowing a bit, and it carried the scent of grass and flowers on it. Her heart was pounding, but she didn't know why. She'd eaten lunch with her friends under this tree since starting at Furinkan. And she'd eaten with Ranma plenty of times.

_But I've never done both at the same time, have I?_ She thought nervously.

She didn't have much more time to worry about it, because she could see Riko and Yui heading her way now. Riko was her oldest friend. She had known her since she had first started school at age five. Riko was her only friend who had ever met her mother.

Yui was her second oldest friend. She had met Yui when she started Middle School and the friendship had carried over to high school. Yui had never met Mom, but Yui probably knew about as much about her mother as Riko did, owing to her infrequent talks about Mom when the subject came up.

They arrived and stood looking at her impishly. Of all of her friends, she loved these two the most. Riko and Yui both had more or less the same sense of humor that she did. They both thought almost everyone took almost everything too seriously. They both had fast mouths, quick wits, and sharp tongues.

Riko was about her height, and about her build as well. Riko's hips were maybe a little bit wider, and her bust was maybe a little bit smaller than hers, but overall, Riko looked very similar to her. Riko's hair was the natural deep Japanese black. Riko kept her hair long and silky and usually tied back into a ponytail. She liked to say that since most Japanese girls dyed their hair, she was being different by not dying it.

Yui was the shortest of all of her friends. She was trim and athletic and petite. She had her hair dyed brunette and she usually kept it clipped back in place with lots of little clips she picked up everywhere. Yui also tended to wear the most makeup and jewelry of all her friends. She tended to jingle a bit when she walked. Unlike a lot of high school girls, the pieces Yui wore were real. Her parents were pretty well off, and she was their only child, and they doted on her.

Both of them were grinning like fools as they stood under their tree and looked at her. She grinned right back.

"So, how long do you think it'll take your man to run screaming for the hills?" Riko asked in a deadpan.

"I don't give him more than a few minutes at most." Yui added.

Riko looked her up and down and winked as she responded to Yui. "Well, he _does_ live with Nabiki after all, he has to have built up at least _some_ immunity from that.

Yui considered that for a moment then nodded. "All right, I'll stretch it to five minutes, but that's as far as I'm willing to go." She also held her deadpan voice.

"Both of you are hilarious. Let's not go too hard on Ranma when he gets here, all right?" She said playfully.

"Oh, but Nabiki-chan, it is our right, and sacred duty, to screen all of your suitors. As your best friends we can't approve him before he passes the tests." Riko said as she walked over and sat down next to her on the bench to her left. Riko always smelled like gardenia flower perfume, she loved gardenias.

"Test?" She asked curiously.

"Tests." Yui corrected her as she sat down to her right. Yui always smelled like either lychee accented rose perfume or a crisp peony with osmanthus perfume depending on her mood for the day.

"Oh no." She said with a smile on her face as she leaned into Riko and smiled as she closed her eyes contentedly. "And what are these tests?"

"He shall have to face the challenges." Yui said sternly. She cracked an eye open and looked at Yui.

"They are five-fold." Riko said. She craned her neck back so she could look up at Riko as she opened her other eye.

"Uh oh." She said, as her smile grew wider.

"First he shall have to pass the test of humility." Riko said in a serious voice as she pulled her head down into her lap and began stroking her hair softly.

"Then he will have to pass the test of perseverance." Yui said as she leaned over and hung her head over hers so she was looking into her eyes.

"Then the test of righteousness." Riko said with an evil grin. "I'll be handling that one ... personally."

"Oh dear." She said. She knew exactly what Riko meant by that. Poor Ranma.

"Next will come the test of honesty." Yui added.

"And finally, he shall pass through the fire of the test of jocoseness." Riko said with solemn dignity.

"Jocoseness?" She asked.

"Whimsy." Riko clarified.

"Ooh, good word!" Yui chirped happily. "I need to write that one down." She said as she whipped out her notebook from her pocket.

"Hurry up, he'll be here soon." Riko said.

"Too late." She said as she turned her head in Riko's lap and spied Ranma making his way over to them. He was walking with purpose but she could tell from his gait that he was a little trepidatious.

_You'll do fine, Ranma, don't worry_. She silently encouraged him. Once he reached the edge of their little gathering he slowed to a half-walk, and then stopped.

Both Riko and Yui straightened up and looked at him like cats eying a toy to pounce on. She groaned inwardly and squirmed quickly out of Riko's lap. She popped up to her feet and hurried over to him and hugged him.

"Ranma! You made it!" She said loudly as a cover. Under her breath she whispered as she hugged him. "Just relax, and have fun. Okay?" She felt him relax in her arms a little bit and he nodded almost imperceptibly.

She stepped back from him and took him by the hand and led him to their bench to make the introductions.

"Ranma, this is Riko." She said as she nodded to Riko, who waved at him and smiled. "And this is Yui." She nodded at her as well." Yui winked at him and smiled. "They are my oldest and best friends and my chief lieutenants."

"N-nice to meet you." Ranma said as he nodded his head to each of them as she introduced them. She was glad he hadn't tried to formally bow to them. Giving either one of them an opening like that would just make them more naughty.

She swung him around with a smile on her face and plopped him down on the bench in between both of them. _If we're going to do trial by fire, then we might as well get on with it_. She thought happily to herself. She knew Ranma would do just fine with them, although he might need a little encouragement.

"Shall we eat?" Yui asked.

"But of course!" Riko chirped happily as both of them snuggled up to Ranma. She rolled her eyes at them as she watched Ranma's hands tighten on the boxed lunch he was carrying from home.

She sat down on the grass in front of the bench and opened her own lunch while her friends mirrored her. Ranma took a few more moments, but eventually followed their example. They all ate quietly for a few moments, but she could see her girls sizing him up and forming plans. They were very efficient.

Surprisingly, Ranma asked the first question. He turned to Riko as he finished bolting down his own lunch. "Why did Nabiki call you her lieutenants?"

"Ooh, good question!" Yui piped in from behind him while Riko nodded.

"Should we tell him?" Riko asked as she leaned forward to look around Ranma to see Yui.

"I'm thinking no. That is privileged information, after all."

"Agreed. Sorry Ranma, you'll have to be in the club longer before we can tell you that." Riko said with a smile.

"Fair enough." He said as he sat back.

"So, Ranma, how are you liking Furinkan High?" Yui asked.

"Oh, it's nice here, I like it." He replied as he turned to look at her.

"Thinking of going out for any of the sports teams or clubs next year?" Riko asked.

"P-probably not ... that kinda stuff isn't really my thing." He pivoted to look at her. It was pretty amusing to watch them pulling him left and right. He probably didn't even realize they were doing it on purpose.

"What about the debate team or student government?" Yui asked, piling right on.

"Oh, yeah, student government would be amazing! You're so popular already, you could totally win President if you tried for it!" Riko said excitedly.

"Um ... well ..." He said with a bit of a panicked look on his face.

"Ranma is too busy working on becoming a master of the School of Anything Goes Martial Arts." She chimed in. "He doesn't have time for clubs or sports or student government. Besides, I'd be careful what you wish for, if Ranma was student body president, martial arts practice might replace gym class." She said gleefully.

Both Yui and Riko grimaced at that while Ranma's eyes opened wide.

"Oh, hey, yeah, that would be much better than gym class! Could I actually do that?" He asked her with real interest in his voice as he leaned forward towards her eagerly. Yui and Riko both waved their arms frantically behind him to ward her off. She grinned. _This is what you get for poking the bear, ladies_. She thought as she nodded at him.

"Of course, Ranma. The student body President actually has a lot of power here at Furinkan. You would just have to pass the motion in a general session, and draft the plan and submit it to the school council for approval. They pretty much always rubber stamp things like that. You could probably have it changed no later than two weeks after you were voted in. Maybe only one week if I helped you draft the plan." She said sweetly. She could see his interest growing by the second.

"Could I teach the Anything Goes style here at the school?" He asked eagerly.

"I don't see why not." She said happily. It was fun seeing him get so excited. The fact that Yui and Riko's eyes were bugging out of their heads was just a bonus as far as she was concerned.

_Mess with the bull, ladies, and you get the horns_. She thought happily.

"So, anywaaaaaaay, Ranma..." Riko said as she pulled on his shoulder and brought him back level with herself and Yui. Riko promptly wrapped herself around his arm and laid her head on his shoulder as she blinked up at him and smiled prettily. "I hear you have a date planned for my little Nabiki."

"Yes Ranma, we need details. Can't have you taking our girl just anywhere." Yui added as she put her hands on Ranma's shoulder and shook him gently, which caused both he and Riko to sway back and forth.

"Ranma and I have a very nice date planned, don't we Ranma?" She prompted him.

"Y-yeah, we do." He said with growing confidence. "We're gonna go to the Chuo ward for our date."

"Oh, nice! Take me there next, okay?" Riko said enviously.

"Yeah, me too, me too!" Yui chimed in as she shook him by the shoulder again.

He looked over at her and she smiled at him. He was doing great. She could tell he wasn't quite sure what on Earth was going on, but it didn't matter. He was interacting with them nicely. Now all he needed to do was--

"Uh oh, here comes trouble." Riko said as she pointed across the field with one hand while she continued to clutch Ranma's arm with her other.

She craned her neck to look at what Riko was pointing at, and saw the unmistakable figure of someone wearing traditional Hakama and a Kendogi while carrying something long in their hand that was probably a wooden sword. They were about as far away as they could be and still be visible, so she had some time. But, they were clearly headed her way, so she didn't have a lot of time.

"Yup, you're right, we do have trouble coming." She confirmed as she sighed inwardly. _Of_ course _Kuno has decided to come talk to me right now._ She groused to herself.

"He's _your_ trouble, Nabiki." Riko said as she stuck her tongue out while she swayed with Ranma as Yui continued to shake them for no other reason than she seemed to find it fun.

"Hey, just because he _insists_ on paying me to mess with him, doesn't mean I'm responsible." She protested.

"Yeah, but Nabiki, what if he ever figures it out?" Yui asked as she finally stopped shaking Ranma and turned to look at her.

She blinked in surprise. "I will be giving my acceptance speech at the Sublime Saints of Charitable Giving Awards, before that happens, Yui."

"Tickets to that, please!" Yui laughed.

"Ooh, I'll take that bet!" Riko said gleefully.

"Sure, sure, odds are one will get you twenty." She said absently as she watched Kuno approach.

Yui stood up partially and stared hard into Ranma's eyes with a semi-serious look on her face. "What about him? Do you still mess with him?" She asked as she stared intently into his eyes.

She smirked at Yui. "No, Ranma has a get-out-of-sass-free card right now, he's out of bounds."

Riko's face went into an immediate pout as she jerked her eyes off watching Kuno approach to stare at her in shock. "Aww, come on, Nabiki! Ranma is the most entertaining thing that has ever happened to this school!"

"EVER!" Yui piled on as she sat back down next to him and stared at her in disappointment. "You can't take him away from us, we need this!" Yui added in a plaintive tone.

"Um ..." Ranma said, clearly bewildered.

Riko nodded eagerly. "Oh, totally! I plan my day around watching what he'll do next." Riko stared at Ranma with an over-the-top dreamy smile while she patted his chest fondly.

"H-hey..." Ranma managed to get out. She could tell he didn't know what the rules were and didn't know what he could or should do. Unfortunately for him, his discomfort was the kind of fuel that Riko and Yui fed on mercilessly.

Riko perked up immediately as she heard his tone and plopped herself into his lap as she wrapped her arms around him, and cooed to him like he was a baby bird. "You said it! Nabiki has herself a steal with this one. I would _never_ get tired of playing with him!" She said happily as she wrapped her hands around his neck and leaned back away from him and sighed as she let her hair hang down towards the ground as she hung from him.

She scowled at them but didn't come to his rescue just yet. She was really hoping he would rise to the occasion and start showing her that he could handle himself in her world. She had a half smile on her face as she watched her friends tease him. She had to admit, it was both cute and very amusing to watch him squirm under their attentions. Five challenges, indeed.

Yui followed Riko's lead and leaned herself up against him as well and sighed theatrically. "Oh, for sure!" Yui turned to face her and grinned mischievously. "Hey, Nabi, I'll give you five thousand for him for the weekend!"

Ranma was starting to twitch as they teased him. She decided to help him out, a little bit. She rose to her feet and sauntered over to him confidently. She really liked that she could claim him right now, and everyone else would have to back off. Even though her public claim on him was that stupid arranged marriage, as far as everyone else was concerned, it was valid and had weight behind it.

She shooed the girls away from him, and they hopped up and stood to the side with silly grins on their faces. She sat down next to him and turned to face them. "Sorry ladies, he's off the market." Then she leaned into him herself and whispered into his ear. "C'mon, they're only playing with you, you can play too, it's okay, I'm not going to get mad." She prompted him.

He turned into her arms, which he hadn't done with Riko or Yui, so he was basically hugging her. She could see both of them notice this and raise their eyebrows with respect. He leaned his head in towards her ear and whispered back to her. "I ... I don't know ... I never..."

She smiled into his shoulder where he couldn't see it and whispered back. "Well, figure it out. A master of the Anything Goes style has to be quick not just with his fists." He leaned back away from her and nodded. She winked at him.

Riko and Yui were watching them intently now, trying to hear what they were saying to each other.

Riko jumped in first. "Ooh, what's she whispering to you, Ranma? Sexy stuff?"

"Oh, I doubt it, Riko, he wouldn't know what to do with a girl if one dropped naked into his bed." Yui said with a wink.

"I ... I would so!" Ranma protested.

"That's actually happened before ... multiple times." She said with a frown and a sigh.

Riko smirked and ignored her. "Oh yeah, Ranma, ... what would you do?"

"Well ... if that girl was anything like you ... I'd have to wait another hour or so before I did anything until she ... stopped talking." He said as he blushed hard and forced himself to look at Riko. She could tell it was hard for him, but he did it.

She grinned. _Atta boy, Ranma!_ She silently cheered for him. He was doing it!

Yui laughed, pleased with the shot Ranma had gotten in. "Ooh, Nabi must be serious about him, she's teaching him to be her junior smartass!"

Riko grinned. "Oh, I don't know, without Akane around to shut him up, maybe he's just finally getting a chance to get a word in edge-wise."

She frowned. "Hey, leave Akane alone." She said a bit sharply. She didn't like people picking on Akane.

Riko changed the topic without acknowledging her rebuke directly. "So ... Kiki-chan..." Riko began as she turned to address her and paused for a moment. Ranma looked up sharply at her when he heard Riko's pet name for her, and grinned like he'd just discovered free money. She moaned silently to herself and briefly closed her eyes in annoyance. Riko continued after a pregnant pause to allow the pet name for her to sink in with Ranma. "So ... does he have like ... crazy-good stamina for ... stuff?" Riko asked breathlessly.

_Wow, she wasn't kidding when she said she was going to put him through a trial-by-fire._ She thought, chagrined. She blushed, but didn't look away.

Yui took the opportunity to pile on. "Ooh, yeah, he's _so strong_ , I bet he can get ... creative ... with stuff..." Yui gazed longingly at Ranma and blushed brightly. It was amazing what that girl could make herself do when she was acting.

She smirked at them. "I have _got_ to get you ladies some dates."

Riko pouted. "Aww, come on Kiki! I told you about what Kenta and I did on our dates!"

"That's true, she did." Yui confirmed with a helpful and enthusiastic nod.

"Um ..." Ranma tried to interject.

She grinned and leisurely draped herself across him before she answered them. She wanted to send a clear signal to him, and them. "Well, there's two differences between that and this, ladies." She held their gazes for a moment then held up one finger. "One, you two never really did much ... of _anything_."

"Also true." Yui said with another helpful nod. Riko scowled at her.

"And two," she paused as she held up a second finger and they looked at her, "Ranma is _right here!_ Kenta wasn't there when you talked about him, be nice." She scolded.

Riko stuck her tongue out at her then looked over her shoulder and smiled. "Doesn't matter anyway, your boy-toy is almost here."

"Boy toy?" Ranma asked with raised eyebrows.

She looked back at him and smiled as she stood up. "Not like that, she just means I mess with him."

"Oh." He said with a nod.

She turned to face Kuno and took a half step away from Ranma on the bench.

She heard Ranma say Kuno's name darkly to himself and saw him rise to his feet out of the corner of her eye. She turned around and held a hand palm down and pushed it towards the ground as she locked eyes with him sternly. "I can handle Kuno, Ranma. Trust me."

"But--"

Riko read her body language and immediately plopped herself into his lap as he started to hesitantly sit back down, and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Don't worry, Ranma, she was handling Kuno well before you arrived in town."

Yui responded to her as well and settled herself into his lap also. She pushed Riko over so they were each sitting on one of his legs with Riko's arms around his neck, and Yui's around his chest. "True story, just sit back and watch the master at work." Yui encouraged him.

"Um--" Was all he could get out.

"I can definitely see why Kiki likes you, and why Akane kept you around." Riko purred happily as she snuggled into him.

"Oh, I know, right? Why can't any of the losers chasing _me_ be built like _this_?" Yui sighed as she ran her hands over his chest happily.

Ranma was looking back and forth between them with alarm on his face. "Um--" he tried again.

"Shh, the show's about to start." Riko interrupted him.

She smiled at them all and turned to face Kuno, who had almost arrived. She turned just enough so she could face Kuno, while still keeping Ranma and her friends in her peripheral vision. She could still hear them easily as well, since they were only a half step behind her.

Damn, I wish I had popcorn." Riko said.

"I could go get you some." Ranma supplied helpfully.

"Nope," Yui said as she tightened her hold on him, "we have to keep an eye on you while Nabi is busy."

"Yeah, and I am also pretty sure I am drafting you to be my new official hand warmer, I'll pay Kiki to rent your warmth." Riko said happily.

"Here we go!" Yui said gleefully as she shook Ranma back and forth with excitement.

She rolled her eyes internally at her silly friends' antics as Kuno did indeed arrive.

"How now, Nabiki Tendo?" Kuno said in his usual overly-confident baritone.

She smiled at him. "Hey, Kuno-baby, what's up?"

"I have need of your services. Prithee, I beseech thee to grant me an audience with the pig-tailed girl! I need--"

"All right! This one ends poorly!" She could hear Riko say as Kuno droned on.

"I love it when he wants _her_!" Yui chimed in.

Ranma just sighed.

"He still has no idea she's _you;_ I think he's the only student in the school who still hasn't figured it out yet." Riko said in a stage whisper.

"Too many shots to the head, loosens up the gray matter." Yui added as she knocked the side of her head comically.

She had to fight to keep herself from laughing as she listened to them while Kuno talked.

"Y-yeah," Ranma said as he started to catch on to their rhythm, "Kuno really doesn't know how to duck, he--"

"For sure, oop, he's done pontificating, hang on." Yui said as she put her finger across his lips as Kuno finished up.

She turned her full attention back to Kuno. "Oh, Kuno-baby, are you _still_ after her?"

"Prithee, peace, I dare do all that may become a man. Who dares do more is none."

"Whatever you say, Kuno-baby, but I don't think the pig-tailed girl is ever going to go for you--" she said on auto-pilot as she launched into the same speech she always gave him while she listened to her friends.

"Here it comes!" Riko said excitedly as she talked.

"I'm so excited!" Yui faintly squealed.

_It's amazing Kuno doesn't hear them. He probably does and just ignores them._ She thought as she finished her speech and transitioned to explaining her terms.

"-- so, if you want to reach her, I can make it happen, but it will cost you. I have to cover expenses, after all. You ready to do this?" She asked him. She didn't really care if he accepted or not. She wondered if he ever noticed that she raised the price by a thousand Yen for his _pig-tailed goddess_ chasing favors every time he came to her with them?

"I dare to do only what is proper for a man to do." Kuno said confidently.

"Right, well, for only one hundred thousand Yen, I can give you a phone number to call her at tomorrow. Then you can ask her out yourself."

"Oof, no hook!" Riko hissed in disappointment.

"No way, she's got him, here comes the reel." Yui said confidently.

"One ... hundred ... thousand..." Kuno repeated slowly as his eyes widened.

She gave him a hard stare. "That's my price, Kuno-baby. I am not going to give out that number cheaply. A girl's got to protect her resources."

"Frailty, thy name is woman! That price is outrageous!"

"If you are wasting my time, then I do desire that we might be better strangers." She said, using his own terminology. That sometimes helped when dealing with Kuno.

He perked up immediately when she did that, like he always did. Then he waved her away with imperious dismissal written all over his face. "Feh, you are a tedious fool, to think I would pay such a price for a mere phone number." He turned his shoulder like he was going to leave.

"He's not bluffing." Riko said.

"I'll take that bet, odds?" Yui challenged her.

She had to fight herself not to turn around and lay odds with them.

"One'll getcha three." Riko said absently.

"Done." Yui said as she handed over a thousand Yen note.

Ranma was looking back and forth between them rapidly with wide eyes.

"Look, Kuno-baby, if you want a phone number where you can reach the pig-tailed girl, that's my price. Certainly ... a great and noble house, like the Kunos, can afford such a small sum? Are your funds running low these days?" She taunted him. She knew that would either goad him into paying, or annoy him enough to make him go away and leave them alone. She was fine either way.

Kuno scowled at her. "I should cut out your tongue than endure such falsehoods!"

"'Tis no matter, I shall speak as much wit as thou afterwards, little Troilus." She taunted him.

"Ooh! Nice one!" Yui said in appreciation.

"Where does she find the time?" Riko asked in awe.

"Nabiki is the hero we deserve, and my personal role model." Yui added in a hushed voice.

"Wow ... she _is_ really good, isn't she?" Ranma said in a louder voice than her friends. He obviously didn't understand stage whispering. She blushed lightly at his praise anyway.

"Come, come, you wasp, you Katherina; call me Troilus doth thee? I' faith, you are too angry." Kuno said as he took a step towards her and narrowed his eyes.

She didn't back down. "If I be waspish, best beware my sting." She said as she stared him down.

"Fine then! I shall pay thy ransom!" He said with exasperation as he dug into his Kendogi for money.

Yui held out her hand to Riko with a smug smile on her face. "Pay up."

"Damn, I thought for _sure_ a hundred would have been his breaking point." Riko said as she leaned back from Ranma a little bit to dig in her own blouse for money; she rubbed her chest on Ranma while doing so. Nabiki knew it wasn't an accident, but she didn't care. Riko wasn't hitting on him, she was just like that with people she liked and people she was teasing. And it was good for Ranma to have to deal with women and their bodies without it being yet another romantic catastrophe.

Ranma was looking at her with very wide eyes while he held his hands out to his sides as best he could with both of the girls sitting on him, trying to show he wasn't doing anything. She nodded imperceptibly for anyone except Ranma. She knew he'd pick up on it and understand that she knew.

Kuno held a roll of ten-thousand Yen bills out to her which she snapped up and deposited into her hip pocket as she smiled at him. "All right, Kuno-baby, here you go, now don't lose this." She said as she leaned over and grabbed his hand as she pulled a marker out of her other pocket and wrote a phone number down on his wrist. The marker was purple and scented with a candy-grape smell. That made it extra fun for her.

Kuno nodded to her sharply then pulled his hand back gently, almost reverently, and did an abrupt about-face as he walked away proudly while he blew on the marker to dry it.

She rolled her eyes at him. "That man from children, nothing differs." She said quietly as he walked away. She turned around and smiled as she sauntered back over to Ranma, shooed the girls away again, and sat happily in his lap. The girls vacated his lap, but kept their arms wrapped around him.

Ranma let out a little _oof_ as she plopped down on him. "That was ... impressive ... Kiki." He said with a slow smile.

"Ooh, I don't know if I can let you use that one yet, Ranma." Riko said as she grabbed his chin and pulled his head around to stare into her eyes. "Not sure you've earned it, copyright and all that." Riko said as she stared hard at him with a thin frown on her lips.

Ranma didn't back down. "Hey, if you want to use me as a hand-warmer, then I get to use that name." He declared with defiance in his eyes.

She blinked at him in surprise and happiness. She couldn't believe he was going toe-to-toe with Riko!

Riko stared him down for a few more moments then squealed, "Deal!" She immediately stuck her hands into his shirt which caused him to yelp as her cold hands found his warm skin. "So waaaaaarm!" Riko purred happily with her best imitation of a happy cat's face plastered on her face.

"Shoulda seen that one coming, Ranma." She said to him with a grin.

"Give him time, he's a smart boy." Yui chimed in.

"No I'm not, Nabiki's the smart one." He protested as he tried to wiggle Riko's hands out of his shirt unsuccessfully.

She ignored his self-deprecation. "You bet he is, I've seen him learn _extremely_ complicated things in a day or less, and master them. If Ranma wants to, he can learn just about anything." She boasted proudly.

"Oh, great! How do we get him to learn history? I need a tutor." Riko said in a sing-song voice.

She smiled happily. _It's happening, it's happening!_ She thought excitedly to herself as Ranma played with them. He probably didn't realize that was what was happening, but it didn't matter. He could do it!

"Aint gonna happen." Ranma shot back to Riko.

"Nabi could pay you with naked pictures, have any good ones, Nabi-chan?" Yui asked.

"Nah, I got out of that business." She deadpanned.

"Besides, if I want to see a naked girl, all I have to do is take a cold shower." Ranma said in a tone that was both embarrassed and proud.

"Ooh, listen to him, so ... _experienced_." Riko said as she cooed and leaned into him.

"I know, right? But, um, Ranma, cold showers aren't really a girl's friend, ya know? That's a pro-tip from me to you for date nights." Yui said with a wink.

"I know ... its like it makes me ... a different person." He replied cautiously but with a tinge of laughter behind his voice.

Both Yui and Riko rocked him back and forth with glee as they laughed real laughs and dispensed with their theatrics.

She smiled proudly at him.

_I'll just know_.

The warning bell to return to class chose that moment to ring. She scowled in the general direction of the school buildings. Things were just getting interesting! She looked around and saw the vast majority of the students within eyesight starting to slowly drift towards the buildings.

"Well ... I guess that's it for today. Same time tomorrow, ladies?" She asked sadly.

"You know it! Who knew Ranma could have a sense of humor?!" Riko said as she stood up, pulled her hands out of Ranma's shirt, and leaned in and planted a wet kiss on his cheek with a loud smacking sound.

"Seriously! We should bring Chihiro & Nanami tomorrow!" Yui said as she disentangled herself from Ranma and stood up next to Riko and casually bumped her hips into Riko's to push her off Ranma. Riko scowled at her then grinned and bumped her own hips into Yui's which made Yui stumble sideways a bit with a startled _whoop_. It was one of their favorite games.

She stayed in Ranma's lap while Riko and Yui started to walk away as they waved cheerfully to them both.

"See you in class, Kiki! And Ranma, I'm trusting you with that name! You're gonna have a _crisis_ on your hands if you spread it around!" Riko said with a laugh as she linked arms with Yui.

"Bye you two lovebirds, be good!" Yui called after them as she sauntered away with Riko.

A moment after they were out of earshot, Ranma looked at her with a dazed expression on his face. "Wow."

She smiled at him. "Wow indeed."

"Kiki?" He asked her, clearly curious about the name.

She frowned at him. "You don't actually get to call me that unless Riko's around."

"Why not?"

"She named me that mostly to annoy me."

"But it's so cute."

She looked at him coyly and fluttered her eyelashes at him as she considered it. She nodded her head when she came to a decision and leaned in to whisper it in his ear. "Fine, but only when we're alone. And if you ever tell Akane, I will spike your food with something nasty that I will pick based on how annoyed I am with you, and I reserve the right to come up with my own name for you."

"Deal," he said as he stood up with her and shifted her from sitting in his lap to sitting in his arms. "Should we get to class?" He asked hesitantly. She knew he had no strong desire to return to class, but he also knew that she wasn't exactly blasé about her own studies.

"I guess so." She said wistfully. She cared about her studies, but she was having so much fun with him. She didn't want the moment to end.

He looked at her quizzically. "So ... what number did you give Kuno to reach me?" He asked.

"Our home number, of course."

"So ... you tricked him?"

She blinked at him. "Not at all." She said as she wiggled in his arms to indicate she wanted to be put down. He did so immediately. "I gave him _exactly_ what I told him I would give him, nothing more and nothing less."

She could tell he wasn't quite following her with the look he was giving her. So she waved him back over to the bench. "Have a seat. Now is as good a time as any to start training you for this sort of thing. Can you tell me what I promised him?"

"Sure, you told him you would arrange a date with him and the _pig-tailed girl_ , and setup a phone call for that." He said as he sat back down.

She frowned and shook her head at him. "That is _not_ what I told him. Details are very important in contracts, Ranma, including verbal contracts. You have to pay attention to words, and the order they are used and how they are used."

She began to tick points off on her fingers as she explained. "What I told him was, verbatim, one, if he wanted to reach her, I _could_ make it happen. Two, for one hundred thousand Yen, I _could_ give him a phone number to call her at tomorrow. Three, with that number he _could_ then ask her out himself. And that is _exactly_ what I gave him."

"Yeah, but Nabiki--" He started to argue with her.

"Are you the pig-tailed girl?" She interrupted him.

"Well, yeah."

"Do you live in our house?"

"Sure."

"So, if the phone rang and you answered it tomorrow, or someone went and got you, will what I gave him have satisfied the agreement I made with him to provide a phone number where he can reach the pig-tailed girl and ask her for a date?"

"I guess." He said reluctantly.

"Then the agreement was made in good faith, and I upheld my end of it. I _never_ promised that you would be home, be in female form, would agree to the date, or would even answer the phone. That was what he wanted, but it wasn't what I _said_ I would do. And that, Ranma, is the essence of contracts. The letter of the agreement trumps the spirit. Anything goes." She whispered as she finished.

He smiled at that. "I can see I have a lot to learn about this sort of thing."

"Well, you should get to class to study, then." She said with a soft smile.

"Meet you after school outside my classroom?" He asked.

"Of course, we have to go over our plan for meeting with Shampoo and her grandmother don't we?"

"Oh ... I wasn't actually gonna go to that, do you think we should?" He asked.

"I think forty eight hours of guaranteed freedom from their attacks is worth meeting with them for a few minutes, yes." She said patiently.

"A-all right, then yeah, we should come up with a plan before we go see them." He said as he stood up and started to walk towards the school buildings.

"I am already working on one." She promised him.

He nodded and trotted off towards the building with his classroom in it. "See you in a few hours." He called back to her, then paused and looked back. "Coming?"

"In a moment."

"I'll wait with you then." He said as he started back towards her.

"Go. I'll be right behind you, just want to enjoy the view for a few more moments before I go back in."

He looked at her doubtfully. "But, Nabiki--"

"Go." She said, more firmly. He nodded and jogged off towards the building his classroom was in. He looked back at her a couple of times as he did, and she waved each time he did.

She stood there for a few moments and allowed herself to be immensely happy with how well Ranma's first encounter with her friends had gone while she simultaneously planned for how to deal with the Amazons.

A cold voice behind her startled her out of her happy thoughts just as she felt a presence behind her.

"Proud of ourself, are we, Nabiki Tendo?"

It was Kodachi's voice.


	26. Why Are You Doing This To Me?

Nabiki went cold inside. She was alone. Kodachi was behind her. Ranma was just disappearing into the school building in the distance, and the few people she could see were very far away and rapidly entering the school buildings as well.

_Stall? Stall_. She asked and answered herself.

She took a full slow step forward towards the school buildings and away from Kodachi as she turned away while she clasped her hands behind her back and put on her innocent and friendly schoolgirl persona.

As soon as she could see Kodachi she sighed inwardly as she realized that the unhinged gymnast-girl must have matched her stride when she stepped, as the crazy girl was practically nose-to-nose with her. Kodachi was wearing her trademark leotard and was clutching that ribbon of hers in her left hand.

Her mind had partitioned itself to work on several problems at once. The main thing she was working on was trying to figure out how to stall Kodachi. She was also trying to spare as much of her thoughts as she could to try to remember the fighting skills Daddy had taught her. She was also gathering her strength to run as she continued to back slowly away from Kodachi.

"Where are you trying to go, my dear?" Kodachi said in a falsetto-sweet voice as she smiled widely at her with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

_She must have read my body language_. She thought as fear entered her core and she started to go numb. Adrenaline was flooding into her and it was helping, but the fear was still taking control. She wasn't trained for, or used to, physical confrontations. She had heard that some people reacted to panic by freezing up. She had never thought she'd be one of them.

_I'm just full of surprises today_. She thought sarcastically as she backed away from Kodachi and brought her hands from behind her back and held them up in an open handed peaceful I-don't-want-any-trouble gesture.

Kodachi matched her step for step as she kept the fake smile on her face. She was sure Kodachi could tell she had brought her hands up into a guard position, even though it technically didn't look like one, but there wasn't much else she could do. Kodachi clearly seemed to want to fight.

"What do you want?" She asked Kodachi as she continued to slowly back up towards the school buildings.

_I am only going to get one good shot in, I need to make it count_. She thought as she let her eyes casually travel Kodachi's body as she searched for the best place to hit her.

Her mind flashed back to lessons Daddy had given her back when she had only been six years old.

" _This is important, Nabiki. Pay attention. If someone attacks you on the street, odds are they won't be trained. Even if they are trained, they won't be expecting you to put up a real fight. This is what I want you to do_." He'd shown her a quick and brutal series of motions that involved a blocking strike, a quick shuffle in and an elbow to the nose. The motions were short, easy to remember, and designed to cause maximum damage and to knock an attacker back on their heels. It was all Martial, no Art, Daddy had told her. They were motions intended to save her life, not to win against another martial artist. " _Stop or duck their attack, close the distance fast and hurt them as much as you can, then run away, baby. Don't try to win the fight, just get away._ "

She continued to take small steps away from the crazy girl and towards the school buildings. She figured every step closer to the buildings she was when Kodachi got tired of toying with her and attacked, would be that many steps less she'd have to run.

"What I want, dearie, is for you to leave my darling Ranma alone." The crazy girl said with a manic gleam in her eye.

"All right, I'm sure we can work something out." She led the girl, hoping she could distract her with negotiations.

"Oh ho ho, I'm sure we can too, dearie. I've always found that the fastest way to solve little problems like this is through a spirited exchange--"

_Here it comes_. She flexed as she prepared for the attack.

"--of ideas!" Kodachi finished as she lunged at her with some kind of club clenched in her right fist as she drove it towards her face.

She didn't have time to think, she just reacted. She stepped forward with her right foot inside Kodachi's stance while she hammered both her fists into Kodachi's arm. Her left fist struck the side of the gymnast's forearm where one of the nerve clusters was. Her right fist hit hard into Kodachi's bicep muscle. The combined affect was that she deadened her attacker's arm in two places while also effectively blocking the attack. Daddy had always told her one of the hallmarks of Kenpo was that every block was also a strike.

She immediately shuffle-stepped forward and drove her left elbow hard into Kodachi's nose as she traced a path along the gymnast's extended arm. The impact jarred her elbow and hurt as she snapped the crazy girl's head back. She continued straight forward and Kodachi dropped as she drove her elbow through the space she had targeted. She did it just like Daddy had shown her, and made her practice on him over and over again when she was little.

_Thank you, Daddy._ She thought as she began to sprint towards the school. She knew she should yell for help, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. It was so undignified, weak and pitiful.

_I'll just run and find Ranma, he'll_ \-- "oop!" her thoughts were interrupted as her feet were yanked out from under her and she crashed hard into the ground. She was dazed for half a second then she threw herself backwards and rolled her head back as she kicked her feet over her shoulder and away from the attack she knew was coming. Her feet were tangled in that stupid ribbon Kodachi was always waving around. She felt the ground shudder as she regained her feet and shook the ribbon off and looked where she had been laying a moment before.

Kodachi was in the process of discarding the mallet she had embedded in the ground where she had been. The crazy gymnast was now standing between her and the school.

The fear was still present, but she was able to force herself to start circling Kodachi as she held her hands up in a full guard position, just like Daddy had taught her.

_Okay, now I'm in trouble_. She thought as she eyed Kodachi warily.

The unhinged gymnast was circling with her now. There was a small trickle of blood streaming from her nose, and there were leaves and grass in her hair.

"Well well, it seems I underestimated you." Kodachi said with a sneer.

She didn't answer, she wanted all of her attention on her defense.

When she didn't take the bait, Kodachi tried again. "I see that you have stolen some of Ranma-darling's moves. You foolish girl, you can't hope to think that makes you worthy of being with him, can you? At least your younger sister is somewhat competent. You, on the other hand, have nothing of substance to offer him. He'll realize that soon, you know." Kodachi said in a low voice dripping with contempt, while she walked into a tighter circle with her and readied another attack.

She couldn't help it, Kodachi's words were getting to her. She was getting angry. She could feel the heat of her anger replacing the cold fear that had taken hold of her earlier. As she circled with Kodachi, she felt her muscles loosening and warming up. She felt good. Her muscles remembered all of this. Sparring with Daddy had been just like this. Of course, she had known Daddy wasn't going to _really_ hurt her. She had no such delusions about Kodachi.

"Time to teach you a lesson, dearie. You need to learn to stay out of the way of your betters, and to keep your hands off of those who don't belong to you." Kodachi taunted her as she tensed her muscles to attack.

She felt herself blazing with anger. She knew that Kodachi was trying to goad her, but she didn't care. She was angry.

_How dare she! Who does she think she is?!_ She thought as she curled her open hands up from parrying hands into fists. Her mind had shifted from defense to offense. She wanted to hurt this arrogant brat!

Kodachi smiled a smug smile as she moved in to attack. She had a moment to read Kodachi's hips and shoulders as the crazy gymnast darted in. She couldn't tell what the attack was going to be so she threw her left hand low and her right hand high as she stepped back with her left foot.

She felt an immediate sharp pain in her left forearm as it impacted with the kick Kodachi had been aiming at her legs. A split second later she felt a terribly painful impact in her right forearm as she managed to block whatever stupid toy Kodachi was swinging at her. Her eyes immediately blurred with tears as the pain made her suck in her breath.

She tapped into her anger and let it fuel her while she yelled and moved to counter attack as she forced herself to ignore the pain in both her arms. She knew where Kodachi's arm was, because she had just blocked an attack from that arm. So even though her eyes and mind weren't able to follow or plot the motion, she could _feel_ it. She slid her right arm down and squeezed her hand into a fist as tight as she could as she brought her left hand up to the side of her head in a cross-guard. She felt her right fist impact something on Kodachi's head. It was hard and hurt to hit it, so it was probably her chin or jaw. As soon as she knew where her target was, she lashed out with her other hand and punched again. She felt it impact on something soft. She hoped it was Kodachi's neck.

She didn't let up. She stepped hard into her opponent's stance and punched as hard as she could, just as Daddy had shown her all those years ago. Her muscles remembered how to do it, like those sparring sessions had been yesterday.

Her vision was clearing, and she could see Kodachi's face now as she pressed the attack. At least half of her punches were getting through Kodachi's own guard. She was landing solid straight and hooking punches to Kodachi's face and temples. Kodachi had a look of utter surprise mixed with outrage on her face as she backpedaled from her attack.

_I can do this, I can win!_ She thought as she blazed with the heat of her anger which was quickly shifting to confidence. _I can b--_

Her thought were interrupted as Kodachi took a solid step back and planted her weight and popped a side kick out which caught her unprepared in the gut. She stumbled backwards with the wind knocked out of her and sank to her knees as she gasped for breath.

She tried to think of something sarcastic to say, but she was drawing a blank. Her confidence had evaporated. Her anger was still there, but it was losing to the fear which was growing as Kodachi stalked towards her with dead eyes and dropped a club into her palm.

Kodachi was obviously both surprised, and furious. The crazy gymnast walked leisurely towards her as she triggered a switch on the club and spikes popped out of the head of it.

"That's enough of that, time to finish this." The crazy girl said in an emotionless voice as she raised the club to strike.

She summoned all of her strength and lurched to her feet as she hopped back out of the way.

_I'll be damned if I am going out on my knees, especially from this crazy girl_. She thought determinedly.

She tried to run, but her legs wouldn't obey her. The best she could do was to stumble backwards as she still tried to breathe properly.

Kodachi raised the club to strike almost lazily. "Time for your lesson, girl!" She snarled as she swung.

She squeezed her eyes shut as she pulled her hands up to block and tried to summon the strength to endure the pain she knew was coming.

A heartbeat later she felt herself get pulled backwards abruptly, as she heard a heavy thunk of something solid impacting something not as solid. Weirdly, she didn't feel any pain.

She opened her eyes, and there was Ranma. He had caught the club in his bare left hand. He had his right hand on her shoulder pushed underhanded behind himself. _He must have reached me from behind and yanked me back as he stepped into my place_. She marveled as she watched him squeeze the club with an iron-solid grip while a tiny trickle of blood dripped from his hand. She almost fainted with relief.

Ranma had come for her. She was going to be all right. The ice of her fear fled and was replaced with the warmth of her confidence in him.

"ENOUGH!" He yelled at Kodachi in a voice ringing with emotion. He sounded ... very angry.

Kodachi's face had gone white from the shock of injuring him while also being caught in the act of trying to injure her.

Before anything else could happen she heard an enraged female voice scream from behind her. "NO!"

Ranma moved instantly. He pivoted on his heel and yanked the club away from Kodachi and threw it away at the same moment that he wrapped her up in his arms as he pulled her to the ground and spun away from Kodachi.

She saw someone in a girl's school uniform sail over her head as she landed on top of Ranma. He had spun her in the air so he would take the impact of the fall, and had her cradled in his arms. The girl Ranma had pulled her out of the way of landed and she caught a flash of short hair and realized it was Akane. She watched from between Ranma's arms as Akane laid into Kodachi, hard.

Her little sister was obviously furious. She had known for a long time that Akane had surpassed her own training in the Art long ago, but the point had never been more clear than it was right now. She watched Akane fight the same opponent she had just been losing against and absolutely dominate her.

Akane slapped Kodachi's defenses down in three quick motions, then stepped into Kodachi's stance, grabbed her hair, and pulled down and forward and yanked Kodachi off her feet. Kodachi hit the ground hard but popped up again. Akane was on her immediately and started hitting her with solid strikes that doubled the crazy gymnast over and quickly dropped her to her knees. Ranma unwound himself from her and left her breathing deeply on the ground looking straight up at the sky. She heard heavy thudding coming from the direction of the fight as Akane pummeled Kodachi.

"All right, she's had it." She heard Ranma call out.

"Akane, she's had enough." Ranma said a little more urgently.

"Akane! Stop!" Ranma said more sternly. A moment later the impact sounds ceased.

She sat up painfully and saw a bizarre sight. Akane was straining powerfully in Ranma's arms and digging her feet into the ground. Akane was actually leaving little trails of plowed dirt under her as she strained against him while she made a keening sound.

Akane's eyes were blank but her face was drawn into a snarl. Ranma had grabbed both of Akane's wrists and was holding her firmly as he stood between her little sister and Kodachi. Akane was using every gram of her strength to try to break his hold and get to Kodachi. She could actually see Ranma's chest, arm and neck muscles straining as he worked to restrain Akane's tremendous strength.

Kodachi was crumpled on the ground, unconscious. The crazy gymnast was curled into a ball and had clearly been clutching her gut before she passed out. Other than that, there were no major injuries obvious on her. Akane was still straining against Ranma to get to Kodachi.

"Akane! Akane, no! Come on, Akane, that's enough! Akane, that's not our way!" Ranma yelled at her as he tried to calm her down.

Finally, after a few more seconds, Akane slumped into Ranma's arms and stopped fighting him. Akane sank slowly into his arms and let out several shuddering breaths as she calmed down.

While Ranma calmed Akane down, she sat all the way up gingerly and took stock of herself. Her stomach hurt, as did both of her arms and hands. Her nose was full of dust, and her clothes were filthy. Despite all of that, she felt strangely exhilarated.

A moment later Akane was kneeling down in front of her and grabbed her head gently as she tilted it side to side and front to back. "Are you all right, Nabiki? I'm so sorry I didn't get here sooner." Akane said softly in a shaking voice full of guilt. Her eyes looked normal again, but there was still a trace of rage ghosting around the edges.

"I'm ... okay." She found herself saying. Sure, she was hurt, but she still felt sort of excited too. The fear had left her, as had the adrenaline, and she was shaking a bit from the after affects of both. But, overall, she actually felt kind of giddy. She was sure it was just euphoria from having survived the fight and a little bit of pride at how well she had done.

_Thank you, Daddy_. She thought again gratefully as she closed her eyes briefly and thought of all of the training Daddy had made her endure in case she was ever attacked. _You were right, and I was wrong_. She thought an apology to him. She made a mental note to tell him about this, and to thank him properly. She knew he would insist she start training again and ... she was all right with that. _Can't let Akane have all the fun, now can I?_ She thought glibly.

Akane was running her hands over her body now, looking for wounds. She brushed her sister's hands away as she tried to stagger to her feet. "I told you, I'm--"

_Whoa!_ She thought in surprise as her legs gave out from under her, halfway into her attempt to get to her feet.

Akane's arms whipped out and caught her before she had fallen more than a centimeter.

"Ranma, come help me!" Akane called out in a panic. Ranma ran over and encircled her in his strong arms and pulled her up to her feet easily, and then he kept lifting her and a moment later she was sitting in his arms. She looked wryly into his eyes and summoned a smirk to cover her embarrassment.

"Getting kind of handsy, aren't you, Saotome?" She asked dryly.

"But ... you're hurt." He replied.

"Not _that_ hurt. I can walk, just make sure I don't fall, okay?" She said as she wiggled in his grasp to be let down.

"All right..." he said hesitantly as he set her back down to her feet. Akane appeared on the other side of her and grabbed her hand. She looked down and smiled at that. She also noticed that Akane had grabbed Kodachi's ribbon, and it was sticking out of her sister's pocket at the hip.

"Nurse's office?" Ranma asked on the other side of her. Akane nodded her head seriously.

As they led her away, she noticed that all of the toys Kodachi had brought were now broken. The spiked club was now a pile of splinters piled in front of Kodachi, where she couldn't miss them when she woke up.

When had Akane done that? She figured she'd ask about it later as she walked gingerly with them to the nurse's office.

They arrived in what felt like no time at all. She was pretty sure Ranma had been lifting her a bit as they walked.

They entered the nurse's office and Ranma laid her down on one of the examination tables on that crinkly wax paper they put on them. She could still feel the cold fake leather under the paper though. The nurse's office had that sickly-sweet antiseptic smell that all doctor's offices and hospitals seemed to have. She knew some people found it comforting, she found it slightly nauseating.

Ranma leaned down and smoothed the hair around her forehead gently with his right hand. His left he kept down by his side. She looked over at Akane who was shifting her weight from foot to foot and looking anxious. A moment later Akane stopped fidgeting and calmed down. A heartbeat after that, she saw why.

The nurse was one she didn't recognize. She was a young woman, probably not much older than Kasumi. She moved with a quiet grace that was eerily similar to something, but she couldn't put her finger on it. The nurse was suspiciously fit for the profession.

"What do we have here? Are you all right, Miss?" The nurse asked gently as she stepped over to her side.

"She was attacked!" Akane said for her, before she could open her mouth.

"I see, well, I can take care of that." The nurse said as she wheeled over a privacy screen. "Young man, I'll have to ask you to wait in the next room." The nurse said firmly.

She thought about making an issue out of it and insisting he stay, by right of being her fiancé. But, frankly she didn't want the first time he saw her undressed to be in this setting, so she kept her mouth shut.

Akane came and stood by her side and held her hand.

The nurse looked at Akane and back to her. She nodded. "It's all right, she's my sister."

"I know she is, you still have the right to have her leave if you'd prefer." The nurse said kindly.

She could feel Akane's hand stiffen around her own in displeasure at hearing that. Akane seemed to really need to be with her right now.

"No, it's fine, she can stay."

"All right, well, tell me what happened." The nurse said as she checked her arms and legs, and then lifted up her clothes and ran her hands around looking for cuts and other wounds.

"I was attacked by some crazy girl who thinks she owns my fiancé." She felt Akane stiffen again when she called Ranma her fiancé, but there was no helping that.

The nurse listened to her heart and lungs and checked her blood pressure then returned to checking her arms. After a few more moments she turned and looked at her and smiled. "You have a bone bruise on your left Ulna and another on your right Radius. The surrounding tissue above and around the blunt force trauma impact points are also quite bruised. You also have a minor bruise on your abdomen. Overall, you'll be fine. I have some pain pills I can give you, I'll be back with them and then I'll go treat your fiancé's hand." The nurse said with a calm smile.

She again had a feeling like she should be recognizing something. She tried to concentrate, but Akane interrupted her.

"I'm so sorry, Nabiki!" Akane blurted out as she leaned over her on the examination table and draped herself over her chest and hugged her tightly.

"Akane..." She said gently as she reached up and hugged her sister in return.

"Oh, Nabiki! I was so scared!" Akane said in a shaking voice. She could tell her little sister was barely holding back tears. She didn't understand why Akane was so upset, it hadn't been _that_ bad. Had it?

"It's all right. I'm all right. Everyone's all right." She said as she made soft shushing noises and stroked her sister's hair.

The nurse chose that moment to reappear and announced her presence by sliding a chair up behind Akane and pressing it against the back of Akane's knees, which collapsed her legs and kind of forced her to sit down and loosen her hold.

"If you cry all over your sister, then I'm going to have to get her a change of clothes." The nurse said kindly.

"Of-of course. S-sorry." Akane said, embarrassed.

"Never be embarrassed for caring for others, dear. Especially your family. You hold on to them tightly." The nurse admonished Akane as she moved to her other side and handed her a steaming cup of tea on a saucer. There were two small white pills on the saucer.

The heat of the tea through the silky ceramic of the cup felt good on her hands. She let the heat warm her hands for a moment as she breathed in the creamy subtle aroma of the tea. The nurse began cleaning and bandaging the minor scrapes and cuts she'd gotten on her knees, palms and elbows. As the nurse worked, she sipped the tea with one hand and took the pain pills. She then put the saucer down on the table.

Akane had her left hand clenched tightly between both of her own hands. She smiled at Akane as she enjoyed the calming taste of the tea. She let the tea stay on her tongue for a moment with each sip, and then gently glide down her throat. It was very therapeutic.

Akane watched the nurse with eyes shining with unshed tears. She tried to distract her little sister from watching her getting bandaged up. The silliness of her trying to make Akane feel better about injuries _she_ had gotten, did not escape her.

"Don't worry, Akane. I'm fine. It looks worse than it is. I've hurt myself worse falling off my skates."

Akane jerked her head in a short nod, but didn't say anything. Her sister obviously didn't trust her voice right now.

"You and Ranma got there just in time, everything is fine." She reassured Akane.

"If we'd been just a little bit later, you--"

"How you doin' back there?" Ranma's voice called out from outside the room, and interrupted Akane.

She sighed. "I'm fine, Ranma." She called out to him.

"Can I come see you now?" He asked. Akane was visibly twitching as her little sister looked in the direction of his voice through the screen.

"Sure, Ranma." She said with a shrug. The nurse was done examining her, and was just bandaging her already exposed skin anyway.

The nurse raised at eyebrow at her but didn't say anything. Ranma appeared around the edge of the screen a moment later. He just stood at the foot of the table and watched for a few moments. He had several emotions running across his face, but the one that kept showing the most was frustration. She decided to let him be for a while and continued to sip her tea.

A minute or so later the nurse finished bandaging her and turned to Ranma. "Would you like me to take care of your injury?"

"What injury?" He asked in a confused tone.

The nurse pointed to his hand which was still dripping a little bit of blood. "That injury."

He looked down at his hand and shrugged. "Feh, that's nothing, barely even a scratch." He said as he wiped his hand on his pants. The bleeding mostly stopped at that. Then he clenched the hand into a fist and it stopped entirely. "See, no problem." He said confidently.

"It might get infected." The nurse pressed him.

"I'll put some ice on it later, don't worry about it." He said.

The nurse stared into his eyes for another moment, then shrugged. "All right, well, don't come crying to me if you get an infection and end up losing the hand. I tried." She could tell the nurse wasn't being all that serious, but that there was a bit of a real warning in the nurse's voice.

She made a mental note to make Ranma sit still and have Kasumi look at his hand later.

"If you'll excuse me, I have some other things to attend to." The nurse said as she made her way past Ranma and around the privacy screen.

She started to get up from the table then stopped when the nurse turned around abruptly and skewered her with a hard stare. "Sit tight, dear. I want you to finish that tea and rest for at least a quarter hour, all right? I want to make sure you come out of the shock and adrenaline rush properly, before you go, okay? I'll bring you something to eat in a little bit. You'd be surprised at the energy your body uses when you go through something like you just did."

She sat back down and nodded. It was probably a good thing anyway, she had felt faint as soon as she had tried to get up. She didn't think Akane had noticed it, but she was sure Ranma had seen the shake in her arms and legs.

"Yeah, Nabiki, listen to the nurse." He said as he walked to her side and tried to help her sit back.

She couldn't explain it, but his tone and the way he was trying to coddle her just rubbed her the wrong way. Before she even knew what she was doing she'd shaken his hands off her. She spilled a little bit of the tea on the table as she did it. He stepped back like he'd been slapped.

She tried to soften her rejection of his mothering a little. "I'm fine, Ranma. You too, Akane." She said as she lifted her hand out of Akane's hands. "I think I did all right today. I was happy to have you stop the fight, but I don't need either of you babysitting me, all right?"

Akane nodded and smiled a little.

Ranma, however, got a hurt look in his eyes. "I was only tryin' ta help, Nabiki."

"I know, Ranma. But I don't like either of you treating me like I can't take care of myself." She said stubbornly.

Ranma's eyes narrowed. "It seemed like you needed my help earlier."

She sighed. "I was doing all right against her until she started to fight dirty. But you're right, Ranma, I did need your help then, I don't now."

Akane stayed silent and looked at the floor.

Ranma opened his mouth to say something else, then closed it again. Then he opened it with a determined look in his eyes.

_Here comes the real reason he's upset_. She thought as she watched him warily.

"You told me ... you'd yell for help ... if you were in trouble. I never heard you yell, Nabiki." He said in a voice that was a mixture of accusation and hurt.

She immediately felt guilty about that, and also resentful that he was bringing it up while she was still in the nurse's office recovering. She felt the resentment push to the front and take control of her response.

"I was a little busy trying to figure out how to deal with a crazy girl attacking me. I didn't have time to be screaming for help. Besides, if I had yelled for help, she would have attacked me right away. I was able to delay her for a while and get closer to the school buildings by playing along with her." She said defensively.

Akane stayed quiet, but her little sister did look up into her eyes briefly to give her a supportive look. She knew that Akane was used to arguing with Ranma, but she wasn't. It felt surprisingly bad to have him being negative towards her.

"I shoulda stayed with you and taken you back to your classroom." He pressed. He obviously felt guilty. She could understand that, so she tried to reassure him.

"That was my fault. You're right, I shouldn't have split up from you." She smiled at him with a tiny smile. It was about as far as she was willing to go right. She knew she needed protection right now, but she didn't like being treated like an invalid or a prisoner.

Instead of Ranma softening his own response to her, he just piled on. "You're right, you shouldn't have. It was a stupid thing ta do. Kodachi could have really hurt you. What were you thinking trying to take her on, I--"

"Ranma." She interrupted him in a falsetto-sweet voice that she usually reserved for people she was about to eviscerate financially. He paused and looked at her with wide eyes with his mouth still open to argue with her.

"Ranma ... you're hurting my feelings. I know I didn't handle things all that well, but I don't need you making me feel worse about it right now. I would like you to ... please leave." She said in as controlled a voice as she could.

She wanted to scream at him, and argue right back with him. But, she had seen Akane do that with him over and over again to no productive end. Clearly when his fighting instincts were engaged, nothing positive could be accomplished. So, she overrode her desire to yell at him.

He just stared at her dumbfounded for a moment, then closed his mouth and his eyes as he tried to gather control of himself. "I ... I'm sorry." He said hesitantly.

Akane looked up at her sharply. She could tell by the expression on Akane's face that her little sister had never considered just telling Ranma that he was out of line.

She kept her little smile on her face and the falsetto tone in her voice. "I'm sorry too. Can you please leave me alone with Akane now?" She asked in a voice that was shaking a bit. She didn't _want_ to send him away, but she wanted to fight with him even less.

He took a step back away from her. He looked like a puppy that was being put into a crate. Then he opened his mouth to argue again. "But, Nabiki, I need to--"

"Akane is _right here_ , Ranma. Why don't you head back to class?" She interrupted him again. When he didn't move after a moment, she sighed. "I will meet you outside your classroom at the end of the day, as we discussed."

"I ... all right, Nabiki." He said as he hung his head and scooted around the privacy screen and was gone. She listened to his footsteps recede. He walked a few steps, then paused, then walked a few more, then paused longer, then a few more, and then he paused for a very long time. She simply waited as Akane stared at her wide-eyed. After half a minute had passed, she finally heard his footsteps continue out of the nurse's office and leave her hearing range.

"I am going to go run some errands." The nurse said, as she appeared out of nowhere to stand next to her. She jerked on the examination table in fright away from the nurse as her hands darted up involuntarily into a guard position. That had startled her.

She glared up at the nurse as she put her hands back down. The nurse smiled back at her and continued speaking kindly to her as she laid a plate of cookies in her lap, and another plate that had rice balls on it. "Finish your tea like a good girl, then I want you to eat before you leave. I brought you the rice balls because I am supposed to, but nobody will judge you if you only eat the cookies." The nurse said with a wink.

Before she could even think of anything to say, the nurse was sashaying away from her and disappeared around the privacy curtain. She looked at Akane with wide eyes. Akane opened her mouth to speak, and then it was her younger sister's turn to jump as the nurse popped her head around the screen again. "I'm going to lock the door to the office. Nobody will be able to get in, but you will be able to leave if you are ready to do so before I return. If you do, please make sure the door is fully closed when you leave." The nurse smiled at them, then was gone again.

She and Akane looked at each other wide-eyed again, and both of them held the look as grins started to creep up their faces. They managed to hang on until they heard the door close and lock. Then they both lost it. She laughed so hard she dumped the contents of both her plates of food into her lap. Akane slid down in the chair she was in, and ended up on the floor.

She ended up laying down on the table and gasping for breath as she tried to get her breathing under control. She was glad she had set the tea down when the food had arrived. As it was, she had to pick up the food from her lap and put it back on the plates. Luckily, that wasn't a very messy job.

When she was done, she set the plates aside and looked at Akane, who was gathering herself back up into the chair and smiling sheepishly at her.

"She isn't a ... normal ... nurse, is she?" She asked Akane.

Akane shook her head. "She can't be. Nobody could do things like that unless they were an expert in the Art." A light dawned in Akane's eyes. "Oh! She must know Doctor Tofu! Maybe she's a student of his, or they study under the same master or something." Akane said with confidence.

"What makes you think she knows Doctor Tofu?" She asked curiously. "Just because she knows the Art doesn't mean she knows Doctor Tofu. He can't be the only doctor in Japan who practices Martial Arts." She said doubtfully.

"That may be so, but she was the one who came and got me out of class and said I needed to go to you, that you were in trouble."

"Really?" She asked. "Well, maybe she does know Doctor Tofu. He did tell me I had friends here watching over me." She said pensively. "I wonder if the nurse told Ranma as well?"

_Hooray for plan thirty eight_. She thought with relief to herself.

"Probably." Akane said in a smaller voice.

She looked up at the ceiling and sighed. "You know sis, I have to be honest. When you were engaged to him, I used to judge you for how much you two fought ... I get it now. It took all of my willpower not to yell at him earlier."

Akane didn't answer her, she just made a small _mmm hmm_ noise.

"I know I need to be patient with him, but it can be really hard when he is acting that way you know? I don't know how you put up with it for so long." She joked.

Akane made a half-choking, half-gasping noise that snapped her out of her reverie. 

She sat up and looked at Akane. Her little sister was sitting on the edge of her chair with her hands pressed together tightly between her knees. Akane was clearly barely holding it together.

"Akane, what's wrong?" She asked, worried.

"Nothing, I'm fine." Akane said, as tears started to leak from the corners of her eyes.

"You're not fine." She said carefully.

"I'm fine. Everything's fine." Akane said as tears began to stream down her cheeks.

"Oh, Akane. I'm so sorry. Was it because I was talking about Ranma?" She asked hesitantly.

Akane didn't answer her, she just smiled back at her as the tears streamed down her face and little shudders shook her body.

"Akane, I'm sorry. I won't talk about Ranma anymore. All right?" She said rapidly, trying to calm her down.

"W-Why...." Akane tried to say, then had to stop and take a deep breath as she fought the tears back.

Before she could respond, Akane tried again. "W-Why ... are you doing this to me?" Akane whispered as she squeezed her eyes shut, opened her mouth, and let out the soft wail of a cry of a broken heart.


	27. Even If Your Voice Shakes

Nabiki looked at her little sister hunched over and crying in her chair. Akane looked so small right now. As she looked at Akane, she couldn't not see the little girl Akane had been not that long ago.

Akane was still trying to hold it together, but she could tell her little sister was just barely holding on. Her small frame was shuddering as she fought back the tears.

"Oh, Akane, come here!" Nabiki said as she set her plates aside and held her arms open for her.

Akane half collapsed out of the chair and half dove into her arms. Akane wrapped her hands around her waist and buried her face into her chest; then her little sister let go and cried harder than she could ever remember her crying.

After many minutes had passed, Akane whispered to her with her face still buried into her chest. "I've been trying ... I've been trying ... to not care. I've tried to get past it. I've tried to ignore you two. None of it's working. It hurts so bad, Nabiki! Why ... why are you doing this to me? Is it for money? Were you being serious back when you asked for money for him? I'll ... I'll pay..." Akane said in a weak voice. She had never heard her sister sound more defeated than she did right now.

Tears sprang into her eyes as she held her little sister and tried to comfort her.

_What the hell do I tell her?_

_I promised not to interfere!_

_Should I give her advice to get him back?_

_Should I help her get over him?_

Her thoughts crashed into each other as she tried to figure out what to say. A lot of jokes jumped into the front of her mind, but she ignored them. She didn't think Akane would appreciate any of them.

"I ... don't ... want money, for him, Akane." She said as carefully as she could.

Akane pulled back from her so she could look her in the eyes. Her little sister's makeup was smeared. Tears were streaming down Akane's cheeks, and her eyes were red. Akane's mouth was open as she gasped for breath while she sobbed. She felt terrible. She had never, ever, wanted to hurt Akane like this.

"W-what do you want, then? What is this all about? Why are you doing this to me?" Akane asked in between sobs as she looked into her eyes.

She swallowed hard and opened her mouth to answer Akane, but no sound came out. She tried again, and pushed harder, and still nothing. She took a deep breath and reached down into her core and grabbed hold tightly to her courage and tried again. "I'm not trying ... to do anything ... to you, Akane." She said as gently as she could.

Akane screwed her face up into an even worse cry and dropped her head back down, and bawled. She was extremely grateful that the nurse had locked them in the office together. The nurse had probably seen this coming, if she actually was a friend of Doctor Tofu's.

She honestly had no idea what to say to Akane, so she just held her and rocked side to side as she stroked her hair and rubbed her back. Eventually, Akane calmed down enough to ask another question.

"A-are you serious about him? Or is this just a big game to you?" She asked with her face still buried into her lap.

"I ... I'm serious." She said hesitantly. She knew the truth was going to upset Akane, but she had nothing else left to use. She had promised not to interfere. So she couldn't give her advice or coaching. But Akane deserved some answers, and the only way she could do that and keep her promises to Ranma would be to tell Akane the unvarnished truth.

"I... I don't understand ... why Ranma?" Akane asked as her breathing slowed a little. Her little sister's frame was still shuddering from the sobs trying to get out, though.

"It's ... hard to describe, Akane. I've kind of ... always ... had a thing for him." She said, embarrassed. She didn't like talking about her feelings with anyone except Doctor Tofu or Kasumi, and only when she was alone with them. Telling Akane her feelings made her feel more vulnerable than she could feel even if she was staring down a dozen copies of Kodachi while stark naked.

"But ... why Ranma?" Akane asked as she clenched her body in her arms and more sobs shook her as she let them out.

She stroked Akane's hair for a long while before she answered. "I ... can't really tell you why. I was very excited to see Ranma when Daddy first told us he was coming. The fact that he appeared to be a girl at first threw me off a little. When we found out about his curse, I kind of panicked."

"You and Kasumi said he should be engaged to me." Akane said weakly but insistently.

She nodded. "That's true, we did. And ..." she braced herself to tell the truth, "I have kind of regretted that almost since the day I said it." She said as honestly as she could. Akane didn't say anything to that, so she continued. "Ranma is ... very special, he--"

Akane interrupted her in a pleading voice. "But ... you're so beautiful, Nabiki. You're smart and talented and funny. You could have any guy you wanted--"

"Oh, Akane ... come on, you're just as beautiful, and smar--"

"Why does it have to be Ranma?!" Akane shouted as she pulled her head back from her and interrupted her. "Can't you ... can't you leave me Ranma? All I have is Martial Arts ... you can have whoever else you want ... please ... please, Nabiki ... please ... don't do this to me." Akane said in a strangled voice as tears streamed down her face.

She could tell Akane was beyond desperate. Akane seemed to be panicked, out of control, and completely adrift. She needed Kasumi, or Doctor Tofu, or even Daddy here. She wasn't equipped to handle this level of heartbreak.

"Please?" Akane whispered again as she buried her face into her chest once more and continued to cry.

Her heart broke.

She frantically scooted to the edge of the table, and moved Akane with her as she slid down to the floor with her as best she could. She rested her back against the base of the examination table. Then she wrapped her little sister up in her arms and pulled Akane's head up to her shoulder like Kasumi had done with her, and rocked with her as she whispered soft shushing noises to her as she sobbed right along with her.

_I don't know what to do!_

_I don't know what to do!_

_I don't know what to do!_

She would have given a lot for the nurse to come back and help her help Akane. Hell, she would even settle for Kodachi attacking again, at least that would distract Akane.

As Akane's sobbing quieted down as the minutes passed, she decided she was safe to tell Akane as much of the truth as she could. It felt like a white-hot sword was stabbing her in the heart right now. The dragon inside her was hiding.

She knew she was about to get very close to interfering with Akane and Ranma's relationship, but she had to help Akane. She couldn't live with herself if she left Akane as miserable as she was right now. She wouldn't tell Akane what to do about Ranma, so it would be minimal interference, and she would tell Ranma she had done it, and accept the consequences of the broken promise from him.

_Even if that means he calls the whole thing off_. She thought sadly.

She couldn't ... she just _couldn't_ leave Akane adrift like she was. "Akane?" She asked softly as she continued to rock back and forth with her and stroke her hair.

Akane responded by nodding her head into her shoulder. She could feel her sister clenching her body and trying to control the tears as more squeezed out hot onto her neck and shoulder. Her dress was damp in multiple places now.

"Akane, listen to me, all right?" She said in her own shaky voice. Akane nodded again. "Did Kasumi talk to you about Mom's advice on boys?" Akane nodded. 

"Do you _know_?" She whispered.

Akane looked up at her and locked eyes with her and slowly shook her head back and forth, then stopped and nodded once, hesitantly.

"Well, the best I can tell you is, if you think he is the one for you, if you look at him, and you _know_ he is for you, then you should ask yourself what you are going to do about that."

"But ... you're engaged to him, Nabiki." Akane whispered. Her little sister closed her eyes and shuddered as she tried to control her body which clearly wanted to continue crying.

"I don't own Ranma, Akane." She said hesitantly. She was about to tell Akane something that skated dangerously close to the edge of what she felt was absolutely private between just her and Ranma. "Ranma is free ... to choose you, or me, or Kasumi, or Ukyo, or whoever he wants." She said in a shaky voice.

Akane looked up at her with eyes shining with tears. "But, he's with you..."

She shook her head. "That stupid engagement thing Daddy came up with, doesn't matter. If you _know,_ then you should ask yourself what you should do about that. I can't ... I can't tell you what to do." She said carefully.

"But ... I fight with him all the time. He can be so ... so ... careless, you know?"

She did know, but she didn't want to get into this with Akane. She felt that if she did, she really would start to interfere with Akane and Ranma's relationship. So, she smiled and nodded, but stayed silent.

"But, he can also be ... sweet, and he's so loyal, and and and ... " Akane broke down into tears again. She just held her little sister and waited.

"I'm sorry. Okay?! I'm sorry, Nabiki! I'm sorry I got mad and was immature and gave his engagement to you!" Akane said in between gasps as she cried in her arms.

"It's all right, Akane. It is." She said as she rocked her back and forth and whispered soft shushing sounds to her.

"I'm sorry ... I ... I didn't mean to ... can I ... can I have him back?" Akane asked, heartbroken.

If her heart hadn't already shattered for Akane, it would have again at that. She thought about bending her promise to Ranma even farther, and to give Akane some advice.

"I can't give him to you, Akane. He isn't mine to give. If you want him, you should think about how to make that happen. Is he even aware of how you feel?" She asked, carefully.

"But ... what about you, Nabiki?" Akane whimpered.

"I ... have already told him how I feel, Akane. I love you, but ... I ... think I love him too. I can't stop now. It was one thing when I was pretending not to like him before all this. But I've gone too far now to just simply stop." She said carefully. She hated doing this.

"But I ... I can't--" Akane protested weakly.

She interrupted her. "Akane, don't you have feelings for him?" She asked as she made up her mind about giving advice.

Akane nodded miserably.

_Don't do it._

"Well, if you have feelings for him ..."

_This is interfering, leave it alone._

"...if you have feelings for him, then tell him."

_Stop, you're going to ruin everything._

"I don't think ... I can, Nabiki." Akane whispered sadly.

"In the end, Akane, in the end ... I won't hate you, or him, if he chooses you. And I hope ... I hope you won't hate me if he chooses me. But, Akane, if you want him, you are going to have to tell him. He isn't mine to give to you." She said quietly.

"But ... I can't..." Akane whimpered into her shoulder as her little sister clutched at her hard as the tears came again and she laid her head back down on her.

"Akane ... Mom told me something when I was very little." She said over Akane's crying. "I don't think I had even started school yet when she told me. It's helped me make decisions over the years, maybe it will help you." She paused and waited for Akane to look up at her, which she did a moment later with red-rimmed eyes. "She told me, Akane, to _speak the truth, even if your voice shakes_. I have never been one hundred percent sure what Mom meant by that, and I'm pretty sure she was quoting something. But, what I think it means is, sometimes, if something is worth doing, if something is worth having, then you have to take the risk, Akane. You have to force yourself to be brave and to do what needs to be done. Even though ... you may fail." She whispered to her.

"I'll ... I'll try, Nabiki." Akane said weakly as she started to cry again.

She held her and rocked with her for a very long time. She had no idea how much time had passed, but she knew it has been much longer than the quarter hour the nurse had told her she needed to wait before she left.

Slowly, slowly, Akane started to come back to herself. She stroked her hair and held her, and waited. Eventually, Akane pulled her head back from her and looked at her with very sad eyes. She could see in Akane's eyes all of the things that her little sister was too afraid to tell Ranma, or even herself for that matter.

She decided to try to distract her. "Akane, can you tell me something?" She asked gently. Her little sister nodded as she sniffled. She reached into one of her pockets and pulled out a tissue and handed it to her as she continued. "Why did Ranma have to hold you back from Kodachi? Why were you trying to hit her after she was down?"

"Ranma ... had to ... what?" Akane asked in confusion.

"Don't you remember?" She asked, curious.

"N-No. I was running towards you, trying to get to you before Kodachi hit you. I guess Ranma must have been coming from another angle, because I didn't see him until he appeared in front of you and stopped her right before I got there. Then ... I don't know, I have no memory of anything after that. I saw a lot of ... white. I ... everything is fuzzy. When I try to remember, it's like I have a memory of staring into the sun. I remember turning to you on the ground and going to check on you. But I don't remember anything between Ranma arriving and stopping the club, and when I went to check on you." She said in a shaky voice.

"Why ... do you think ... you can't remember?" She asked, very curious now. She made a mental note to ask Ranma and Doctor Tofu about it. Maybe it was something about the Art?

"I ... I don't know. I just remember being scared, and trying to get to you ... before it was too late, before you were ta..." Akane trailed off.

"Before I was what?" She asked gently.

Akane shook her head rapidly as she scrunched her face up into tears again. She sighed and pulled her back into a hug. Clearly Akane wasn't in the right frame of mind to talk about it right now. So she just went back to holding her. In the back of her mind, she was aware that her legs were going numb, and her back was starting to hurt, and her bottom was cold sitting on the floor. But none of that mattered right now. Akane needed her.

A long while later they both jumped when the end-of-school bell rang. They had been in the nurse's office for hours. Akane sat back out of her lap and looked at her with an expression that was a mixture of gratitude and sorrow.

She had no more words for Akane that would make her feel better, and she could tell Akane didn't know what to say to her. They both stood on shaky legs and looked at each other uneasily.

She was uneasy because she knew Akane wasn't better, and it was basically her fault. She knew Akane was uneasy because she was the source of Akane's pain, but she had also tried to help Akane. It was a strange situation.

She grabbed the cookies off the plate the nurse had given her, and handed half of them to her little sister. Akane looked down at them, then at her and sniffled before she was able to talk. "Shouldn't ... shouldn't you take them, Nabiki? The nurse said for you to eat all of them."

"No, the nurse said she wouldn't _judge me_ if I _only_ ate the cookies." She said as she grabbed a rice-ball and wolfed it down. Now that she was standing, she actually did feel quite hungry. She grabbed another and ate that one too and smiled at Akane. Akane smiled back and took the cookies.

"I love you, big sister." Akane said with tears in her eyes.

"I love you too, little sister." She replied.

They both made efforts to make themselves more presentable to the general school population, but it was a lost cause for both of them. Akane had red eyes and ruined makeup along with tear-stained clothes.

As for herself, she was dirty from her fight with Kodachi, as well as having red eyes and tear-stained clothing. She was sure her makeup was ruined too. Both of them were a mess; they'd probably scare people in the halls. She smiled at that. She liked the idea of the Tendo sisters both walking down the halls like badasses scaring people away from them. Of course, they would look more like badasses if they didn't look like they had been crying.

She sighed and put the cookies in her pocket as she walked with Akane towards the exit. Akane followed behind her by half a step. Akane didn't say anything else, or look up.

_Poor Akane. She's probably trying to figure out how she can bring herself to tell Ranma how she feels_. She thought. I wonder if she is going to try to tell him as soon as we get to her classroom? She looked sideways at her little sister and tried not to feel jealous. If Akane told him, then that would just give Ranma all that more of a fair choice. If, by some miracle, Akane told him, and he still ended up picking her over Akane, then she wouldn't ever have to doubt that he had just picked her because Akane hadn't seemed like a viable option.

She opened the door to the nurse's office, and froze for a moment. The nurse was standing there, across the hall, with her hands in her pockets as she hummed to herself. She had obviously been standing guard over the door. She felt a surge of affection for the nurse then.

As soon as the nurse saw Akane, she clicked her tongue in worry and hurried over to Akane and pulled her into a hug. It was a mom-hug. It was the kind of hug Kasumi gave, and that she remembered Mom giving.

Akane didn't say anything, but she did sink into the hug. After a few moments, Akane seemed to sag into the Nurse as she let something go. A few moments after that Akane buoyed up again and stood back away from the nurse a little taller.

"There now, that's much better." The Nurse said as she reached over and wiped a tear away from Akane's face then patted her on the shoulder. She smiled at that. She was glad _someone_ could comfort Akane after the mediocre job she had done.

The nurse then turned and swooped over to her and pulled her into a hug as well. She couldn't explain it, but some power in the nurse pulled out some of the anguish inside her, and got rid of it. After a few moments, she felt lighter. She didn't feel like skipping through the halls and whistling, but she felt a little bit more like better times were ahead.

She leaned back from the nurse and stared hard into her eyes. "You're no ordinary nurse, are you?" She whispered. The nurse shrugged. "Do you know Doctor Tofu Ono?" She asked.

The nurse smiled slyly with only a corner of her mouth. "Maybe." Was all she said.

"Are you even a real nurse?" She asked.

The nurse grinned. "Let's just say, I can fill in for a nurse with no problem."

She smiled back softly. "What's your name?"

The nurse thought about that for a moment, then smiled again. "You can call me, Miso."

She smiled at that. "Well, Miso, thank you so much, for ... everything." She said softly.

Miso locked eyes with her, reached over and grasped her forearms gently as she rubbed them kindly with her thumbs. "It was my _great_ pleasure." Miso's eyes shimmered with kindness as she put heavy emphasis on the word _great_.

She nodded shakily. She suddenly didn't trust her voice to speak.

Akane jumped in then. "Yes, thank you. Will ... will we see you again?"

Miso smiled kindly at them both as she stepped back. "You'll see me, if you need me. I have a great many debts to pay off yet. Don't worry. While you're here at the school, you're being watched over. Now go, I'm sure Ranma's waiting for both of you."

She and her sister both nodded, and bowed politely to Miso, then turned to head back to the main hallway that connected to the small hallway the nurse's office was located at. She could already see crowds of students in the main hallway.

She turned back to say something else to Miso, but nobody was there. She smiled at that. _Just like Doctor Tofu._ She thought to herself.

She walked with Akane hand in hand back towards Akane's classroom. They were heading against the flow of students streaming towards the exits. Nobody came within more than half a meter of them, though. She guessed nobody wanted to get involved with two tear-stained girls, one of whom was still dirty from rolling around on the ground earlier.

As they got closer to Akane's classroom, Akane drifted from right next to her, to slowly behind her. When they were only one corner away, she felt Akane stop. She turned and found Akane standing motionless behind her, still holding on to her hand, and looking down at the floor. The stream of students continued to flow around them, but she barely noticed them.

"Akane...?"

"I ... I can't."

She nodded and let go of her little sister's hand. "See you at dinner?" Akane nodded again, then looked up at her and met her eyes. Akane had in her eyes all of the things she still couldn't seem to say. It made her ... very sad.

Without another word, Akane turned around, and melted into the crowd. She lost sight of her almost immediately. She watched the crowd for a few more moments after that and sadly tried to think of ways to make her little sister feel better. She couldn't think of anything.

With a sigh, she turned around again, and turned the corner into the hallway where Ranma and Akane's classroom was located. Ranma was standing against the wall opposite to the door of his classroom. He had his back to the windows and was watching the corner she rounded. She saw him notice her immediately. He smiled and bounded over to her quickly. It made her ... happy ... that he was so eager to see her. The crowd parted for him too. She didn't think it was for the same reasons they had avoided her and Akane. She was pretty sure the crowd stayed away from him because they both respected and feared him. Not to mention the fact that Ranma tended to get attacked all the time, everywhere. It was wise to keep one's distance from him.

She didn't want to be wise. She ran into his arms and tackled him. He caught her and swept her up into a massive hug. She laid her head on his shoulder and smiled. She knew people were gawking at them as he held her in the middle of the hallway outside his classroom. She didn't care.

"I'm so sorry, Nabiki. I didn't mean--"

"I'm sorry, too. Emotions and adrenaline, you know?"

"I know. I was just ... I was so scared. When that nurse person came and stopped me in the hall and told me I had to get to you right away, that you were in danger ... it was like the world stopped. I don't even really remember runnin' to you. All I remember was the nurse tellin' me ta get to you, and then stoppin' Kodachi. Everything else is a blur."

"I'm so sorry, Ranma. I promise, I'll yell in the future if I am attacked when I am alone." She whispered into his ear.

"You'd better ... not that I want to let you be alone again." He whispered back.

She smiled. She knew what he was really saying to her. Loyalty and guarding her were some of the ways Ranma showed how he felt.

As the crowds died down, she stayed in his arms. Eventually, she stirred and whispered to him again. "Ready to go buy ourselves some time?"

"I'll go with you anywhere you want, Nabiki."

She smiled radiantly at that and laid her head back down on his shoulder. "I may hold you to that." She said happily.

"Should we get going?" He asked softly.

She shook her head. "Five more minutes." She whispered. "It's been a long day."


	28. I thought I Had More Time

Nabiki walked in companionable silence with Ranma towards Shampoo's restaurant. There were still some students here and there in the streets. Many of them noticed them, a few even pointed and whispered as they passed them. She ignored them. She was sure Ranma didn't even notice them. He was walking next to her, and holding her hand, and alternating between looking around them like he was scanning for danger, and staring at her. Well, he was trying hard to pretend like he wasn't staring, but he was. He kept swinging his gaze around like he was just looking around, but it kept lingering on her, a lot.

It was actually making her blush how much he was looking at her. On some level, she thought she should probably tell him to stop. His open display was attracting attention, and people were talking. But that wasn't the level she was listening to right now. She was living in the level of herself much closer to her heart these days. And that level ... _loved_ ... that he was so interested in her. The dragon inside her was curled up and purring with happiness.

She fluttered her lashes at him the next time she caught him looking at her. He blushed. "You live with me, you know. Haven't you seen enough of me by now?" She teased him.

He looked away then looked back and smiled. "No, I guess not." He said quietly.

Her heart soared. She knew that physical attraction was only one tiny part of a relationship, but she still enjoyed it. It wasn't just that he was good looking and interested in her. She had known he was physically attracted to her almost since the day he moved in. What made her happy was that he wasn't _just_ physically attracted to her. He _knew_ her. He'd seen her at her absolute worst. He had seen her when she was sick. He'd seen her in her pajamas walking around with a toothbrush in her mouth before showering for the day. He'd seen her fight with Akane and Kasumi. He'd even been the recipient of some of her bad behavior.

And yet ... and yet ... he was still sneaking glances at her, and trying to pretend he wasn't. It was because of that, it was because he _knew_ her, had a history with her, and he was still so interested in her, that she was so happy.

She hummed a little bit to herself as they walked. He noticed her humming and smiled, but didn't say anything about it. As they got closer to their destination, he did finally ask her a question, though.

"So ... what's the plan?" He asked quietly. It was clear he had absolute faith in her ability to handle things like this. She supposed that was fair. She had absolute faith in his ability to handle matters involving Martial Arts, after all.

"The plan is pretty simple. We get in, we talk terms with them, endure Shampoo feeling you up, and the old woman's threats. Maybe we grab a bite to eat if they are being reasonable, then we get out." She said softly.

"Do you think they'll attack us?" He asked in a serious tone.

"I doubt it. Shampoo seems to be more or less unrestrained when she is working towards a goal. But the old woman seems to have her own sense of honor. We've seen her in the past do some pretty obnoxious things, but in the end she did keep her promises to you, although she made you work for it. I think the offer of two days free from their attacks was genuine." She said confidently.

"Good." Was all Ranma said.

She smiled and elbowed him playfully in the ribs. "Don't drop your guard, though, Ranma. Just because I am pretty sure they won't attack, doesn't mean I can't be wrong." She teased him.

He squinted at her, then stuck his tongue out at her. "I _never_ drop my guard." He said sternly.

She thought about teasing him about all the times Ukyo, Kodachi and even Akane had managed to smack him, but decided against it. She didn't really want to bring up the rest of the girls with him right now.

So she decided to change the subject to today's events. "So what did you think of--"

She stopped talking abruptly as they walked through a residential neighborhood and a splash of water jumped out of the pathway to one of the houses on their right. Since Ranma was walking to her right, it hit him fully. It only splashed her a little. She actually gasped as the cold water hit her, though. Not only had it been surprising, being randomly hit by cold water was ... disruptive ... to say the least.

Ranma just sighed and looked over at her with world weary eyes. _He_ was now a _she_ , and dripping wet. She had to put a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing at him. She knew he didn't find it all that funny, but just the expression on his face alone was amusing.

She leaned around him to see where the water had come from. She saw a little old lady scooping water from a bucket with an ancient-looking ladle and spraying the ground with it. It was a very old practice from generations past. The odds of someone doing it in town at all were very low. The odds of someone doing it and hitting Ranma with the water were infinitesimally lower. She looked back over at him as they started walking again and poked him on the shoulder and grinned.

He looked back over at her and frowned. She couldn't keep herself from teasing him. "Hey, shouldn't you have been able to dodge that, or something?" She asked sweetly.

He scowled at her, well, up at her, actually. His female form was shorter than she was. "Believe me, if that old mummy gave off any signs that she was out doing that, I would avoid her. I don't know how, but she keeps getting me. I'm pretty sure she was a ninja when she was younger." He groused.

"You sure do get splashed a lot, don't you?" She asked cheerfully. She loved that he changed into a girl. It didn't bother her at all. She found it fascinating.

He nodded. "That's one of the reasons why I try to always wear silk. It dries fast." He said quietly.

She put her arm through his arm and marched them towards Shampoo's place. "Well, let's get this over with, then we'll get you home and into a proper bath, all right?" She said sweetly to him. He sighed and nodded in agreement.

They reached the Neko Hanten a few minutes later. Her right sleeve was now wet from holding on to him. She didn't care. She looked down at him in his cute little female form and smiled at him. He smelled like lotus blossoms again. She could actually smell him more strongly than the delicious smells coming from the restaurant. She loved that.

"You ready for this?" He asked her in his female voice. She had to keep herself from smiling down at him. It was very weird to see him in his female form while he was acting protectively of her. It was only because she knew what he could do, even as a female, that prevented her from cracking a joke.

She nodded. "If I am with you, nobody can touch me." She said confidently.

"I ... yeah, I guess so." He said with a small smile. "Besides, we have backup." He said with a small nod towards the shadows across the street.

"Who?" She said with curiosity.

"Your guardian angel." He said with a smile.

T-O-F-U? She mouthed silently to him. He nodded and she smiled. She felt even more secure knowing he was here with them. _He must have made his presence known to Ranma._ She thought wryly. Of course, she had missed the signs that he was there, entirely.

"Ready?" He asked her. She looped her arm through his again, and nodded.

"Don't worry, I have a secret weapon." She whispered to him. He looked at her with wide eyes, but didn't ask her about it, which was good because she wouldn't have told him anyway. This secret was one she didn't want _anyone_ to know at the moment.

He smiled at her and reached out and slid the door open. Shampoo immediately called out from the kitchen for them to come in. The restaurant was mostly empty. There were just a couple of guys sitting at tables near the kitchen who were watching Shampoo with lovesick eyes. The restaurant was full of the delicious smells of her cooking. Ranma led her to a table along the righthand wall, and sat her in the chair with its back to the wall. He was just pulling out a chair for himself when Shampoo must have realized who it was who had come in.

"Airen! You came!" Shampoo squealed happily as she bounded out from the kitchen to greet him. She rolled her eyes at the young Chinese girl's antics. But she didn't begrudge Shampoo's affection for him. She knew it was an honest affection. And, after hearing this morning that it had been Shampoo who had gotten the Amazon Matriarch to give Akane immunity from the Amazons, she was much more inclined to be charitable to her.

Shampoo dove into his arms and cooed at him happily for a moment. Then the young Chinese girl pulled back from him and frowned. "You is girl again." Shampoo said with disapproval. "Wait, please." Shampoo said as she scampered off back to the kitchen. A moment later she reemerged with a kettle and splashed him with it.

Even though she watched carefully, she still didn't see the transformation actually happen. One moment Ranma was a female, the next he was male and soaking wet. He looked over at her and sighed again. She smiled at him happily. She knew he wasn't amused by his curse, but she was.

Shampoo reached up to the ties on his shirt and tried to undo them. He stepped back and patted her hands away. "Quit it, Shampoo." He said, exasperated.

"But ... you is all wet. I take and dry, is OK?" Shampoo asked, sweetly as she reached up to him again.

He shook his head and backed away from her. "It's fine. Leave my shirt on. I'll dry out on my own." He said sternly.

Nabiki knew that he wasn't embarrassed about his body, so he probably just didn't want Shampoo pawing at him. She smiled at that. She wondered if he'd let her take his shirt off to dry it? She seriously thought about trying it right now, to rub Shampoo's nose in it. But she knew that wouldn't be productive towards their goals for the meeting. So, instead, she got right down to business.

"We're here to see your grandmother, can you get her, please?" She asked, as she reached over casually and grabbed Ranma's hand and pulled him into the chair next to her. It was a subtle gesture, but it wasn't lost on Shampoo. The young Chinese girl narrowed her eyes at her and held the stare briefly. Then Shampoo nodded and abruptly spun around and walked off quickly, without a word.

Ranma looked at her with relief. She smiled quickly to him and patted his hand. She knew he was happy to have her take the lead in these kinds of situations. She didn't have time to talk with him about it, though, as the Amazon Matriarch came bounding out of their back rooms a moment later, with Shampoo following meekly behind her.

The old woman glanced briefly at the still-open door to the street, then back at them. She had seen the old ghoul's eyes narrow very slightly when she had looked out at the street. She would have been willing to bet money that Doctor Tofu's presence was known. She was sure he had deliberately made his presence known to the Elder Amazon as a warning.

The old woman spoke quietly to Shampoo in Mandarin with an order for privacy. "关上门。"[1]

Shampoo nodded and moved quickly to close the door. Nabiki didn't follow her with her eyes. She didn't want to betray that she understood them. Nobody knew she understood Mandarin. It was one of her secret weapons.

The old woman looked Ranma up and down, and ignored her completely. She was fine with that. It gave her more time to gather information. She darted her eyes to Shampoo as the young Amazon returned and stood behind her tribal Elder obediently.

"可能我再试试?"[2] Shampoo asked hopefully from behind her grandmother, with her face hidden from herself.

Her grandmother answered her kindly. "你可以，如果你想。不要让您的希望太高了，孙女。"[3,4] The Amazon Elder was a master actor. She kept her tone hard and her face implacable. Only her words to her granddaughter were soft. She greatly respected that. She knew firsthand how hard it was to do that under pressure. Of course, the Elder Amazon probably didn't feel under pressure right now. She likely had no fear of Ranma or even Doctor Tofu, and she certainly didn't fear her. And they were in her restaurant where she held all of the advantages.

Shampoo bounded out from behind her grandmother and plopped herself into Ranma's lap. She had known it was coming, so she had to force herself to react with surprise once Shampoo did it. She blinked and then scowled as Shampoo snuggled into Ranma. She was acting, but not much, it did legitimately irritate her to see another girl in his lap. Her friends fooling around was one thing, this was something else entirely.

It was only her long years of experience using the secret skill she was using at the moment, which prevented her from reacting when the Amazon Elder spoke next. "我们可以杀死她，并带他。"[5] She kept her attention on Ranma and Shampoo, and forced herself not to react to the old woman's suggestion that they kill her. Since she wasn't supposed to understand what they were saying, she would have no reason to jump or look over at the Elder Amazon.

Shampoo shook her head as she replied sadly. "不，如果我们杀了一个他爱，他将永远，永远，爱我。"[6]

"还 有更多比爱情岌岌可危，孙女。"[7] The old Ghoul admonished her granddaughter, still in the same breezy tone that she had been using all along. If she hadn't understood them, she would have had no idea they were talking about killing her.

"我 ... 我知道。"[8] Shampoo admitted sadly. The old woman didn't say anything to that, she simply sat atop her staff and waited while Shampoo snuggled into him.

Ranma was alternating between looking at her with wide eyes, and trying to gently pry Shampoo off of himself without touching her anywhere ... inappropriate. Shampoo's clothes were getting wet all down her front from his wet clothes, but she didn't seem to mind. Ranma's attempts to get Shampoo off of him were a task the young Chinese girl was making more difficult. Shampoo kept squirming around in his lap and deliberately angling her body so he would touch her where he was clearly trying not to touch her. She wondered how much of it was just a game to Shampoo, how much of it was a desperate attempt to interest him, and how much of it was just a way to try to annoy herself? She didn't react to any of it. She knew Ranma and Doctor Tofu would protect her if the Amazons attacked, but she saw no reason to escalate the meeting into combat.

Finally, the old woman switched over to Japanese and addressed Ranma, still ignoring her. "So, future grandson-in-law, have you thought about what I said to you this morning?"

Ranma gave up on dislodging Shampoo and just put his hands on her hips to more or less hold her still. Shampoo stopped squirming around as much now that her grandmother was speaking. She could see that the young Amazon enjoyed having Ranma's hands on her, even if it was just to hold her still. Shampoo was looking up at him with adoring eyes, as she lay her head on his chest and breathed deeply. She idly wondered if Shampoo enjoyed his scent as well.

Ranma answered confidently. "I didn't need to give it any thought. Nothin' has changed. I was engaged to Akane, now I'm engaged to Nabiki. I've never been engaged to Shampoo. That was all her idea."

"How is an arranged marriage between your families any different than the marriage laws of the Joketsuzoku?" The old ghoul prodded him. "You were not directly involved in either decision. In fact, of all of the girls claiming you, only Shampoo's claim in based on law and not simple family agreements or wishful thinking. Neither the Tendo's nor the Kuonji's claims rise to the level of law, and that deluded girl from the rich family doesn't even have family agreements to back her claim, she just wants you."

Ranma looked to her for help, so she jumped in. While it would have been more ideal for Ranma to handle all of it, she knew he needed her to help right now. She was sure they would ignore everything she said as an interested party, and an outsider, though.

"You are correct, honorable Elder." She said as she jumped in. Shampoo didn't react at all, but the Amazon Elder did shift her eyes to herself. "But, family honor and one's own personal desires must play a role in marriage contracts as well, shouldn't they?" She asked politely. She knew taking an aggressive edge with the old woman wouldn't get her anything but hostility. Honest respect would at least let her be heard.

"We are talking about law, Miss Tendo, not feelings or honor." The old woman said as she swung her attention back to Ranma.

She jumped in again. "That is true, but Japan has its own laws, honorable Elder. Do they count for nothing?" She asked innocently. She knew what the answer would be, but she needed the answer to setup her next attack.

"Of course not, we do not recognize your laws." The old woman said in exasperation.

She smiled and pounced. "Ah, but if that is the case, honorable Elder, why should we respect your laws? Ranma didn't even know of your laws when he defeated Shampoo." She said sweetly.

The Elder Amazon narrowed her eyes at her and leaned closer to her from her staff. "You should respect our laws, because I say so, Miss Tendo." The old woman hissed.

She blinked at the Elder Amazon. "But, honorable Elder, would not my father say the same thing about our own laws?" She kept her face neutral. She knew she was pissing the old woman off, so she needed to stay non-threatening, or this really would end up in combat.

Shampoo's grandmother narrowed her eyes again, then pulled back up to her perch on her staff and looked back at Ranma. "Enough of this. We are chasing around in circles. I will make this very simple, future grandson-in-law, our laws require you to marry Shampoo, return with us to China, and to join our tribe. This is not negotiable. Your family agreements don't matter to me. Your honor doesn't matter to me. Your feelings don't matter to me. As an Elder of the Juketsuzoku I am required to compel you to obey."

Ranma frowned at the old woman. "And if I refuse?" He asked simply.

"Then ... I am sorry, future grandson-in-law, but I will be required to use force to compel your cooperation."

"What ... do you mean by that?" He asked with rising heat in his voice.

She looked at him with wide eyes and got him to briefly look at her. When he did, she shook her head a millimeter. Now was not the time to get into a stand-off.

"What I mean, is that I will use additional resources of the tribe to force you to do what the law requires."

Ranma looked away from her and back at the old woman and scoffed. "Look, I've beat both you and Shampoo before, I can do it again. You're not forcin' me to do anything!"

She sighed and closed her eyes briefly in exasperation. He was playing into their hands. She jumped in and tried to defuse the situation. "I am sure Ranma means no disrespect by that, honorable Elder. He is a fighter by nature, please excuse him."

The old ghoul looked at her and smiled a smile that did not reach her eyes. "Of course he means disrespect. That is part of the reason he is required to marry Shampoo. He is a fighter, he will sire more fighters. He will make our tribe stronger. I will see to that."

"Listen, I don't care about marrying anyone, and I don't care about your tribe. Just leave Nabiki and the rest of the Tendos alone, all right? Nabiki can't defend herself like Akane can, she has to be off limits." Ranma said quickly, before he got cut off again. Shampoo scowled up at him as he spoke.

"My point exactly, grandson-in-law, she isn't worthy of you." The old woman said. "You'll see that, eventually. You don't know what you are doing."

"And you don't know who you're foolin' with. I'm tired of getting pushed around. I've been getting controlled my whole life. I'm warning you, just take Shampoo and go home, and nobody has to get hurt. Leave the Tendos alone. Don't test me on this." Ranma growled as he tensed to fight.

The Elder Amazon sighed and rolled her eyes. "You fool. Aside from your basic speed and strength and your general knowledge of the Art, you have _two_ advanced techniques, and I taught you both of them. Do you honestly think those are the only advanced techniques I know? I've shown you only a tiny fraction of what I know. I haven't even taught Shampoo more than I have taught you. There are elder Joketsuzoku who haven't seen all I know. You do not want to face me unrestrained.

The situation was starting to get out of control. She was trying to think of something to say to diffuse it. Before she could think of anything, the old woman snapped her fingers and called out in Mandarin for someone, "来这。"[9] She fought to keep herself from raising her eyebrows. She wondered who the old woman was summoning. She doubted it was Mousse, he wasn't exactly imposing.

Another young Chinese girl emerged from the back rooms. She was gorgeous. The girl looked to be about two to four years older than Shampoo, and looked very similar to Shampoo; she was dressed in simple matching white silk Chinese pants and a top, and had her hair pulled back into a simple ponytail. The girl came and stood obediently next to the old woman. She noticed that the side the older girl chose to stand on, was the side closer to herself, and not Ranma. Despite her plain appearance, the girl screamed danger to Nabiki. She could tell Ranma was alarmed as well, as he had sat up straighter, and she could see he was tensing his muscles to throw Shampoo off of himself to get to her side if needed.

Shampoo's grandmother took their reactions in calmly and then spoke again. "This is Kondishonā. She is Shampoo's older sister. I called her here to help ... encourage ... Ranma to see reason and obey the laws of the tribe."

The older girl didn't react in any way. The new girl just stood there calmly next to the old ghoul and stared straight ahead, like a soldier. It was freaking her out. She had to fight to keep herself from sucking air in through clenched teeth in worry. This was ... not good news.

Ranma, however, did not seem impressed. "Yeah, okay, whatever. You can bring her here, and all of the rest of the family. I ain't marryin' nobody!" He said indignantly. She winced at his tone. It wasn't helping. She saw the older girl twitch her hand like she wanted to strike at him, then stop. That worried her.

The old woman sighed theatrically then leaned down towards him from her staff and spoke to him softly but in a very serious tone. "Listen to me carefully. I am giving you a chance to end this peacefully. All you have to do is agree to marry Shampoo, and come back with us to China. It's that simple. You have another day and a half to get your affairs in order, say your goodbyes, and come with us willingly."

"I ain't goin--"

"And, should you continue to violate our laws ..." the old woman interrupted him, "then after your grace period is over, I will start taking steps to _force_ you to obey. Eventually, if I have to, I will take from you every reason you have to stay in Japan. I don't want things to get to that point, but I will if I have to. Kondishonā is here as proof of that."

"I ain't--"

This time she cut him off as she stood up abruptly. "Well, thank you very much for the warning. May we leave now?" Both the older girl and the old woman had twitched when she had stood up, Ranma had too. She had done it deliberately to throw off the energy in the room. A perceived threat, even when not real, tended to throw the mind into the defensive, which was where she wanted them.

The old woman narrowed her eyes at herself. She was sure the Amazon knew that she was using negotiation tricks against them. It couldn't be helped, she had to use the tools she knew how to use.

"Yes, you may leave. Thank you for coming." The old woman said in her false sweet voice. Then she simply pivoted on her staff and hopped away from them, dismissing the meeting. She called out over her shoulder as she hopped away to Shampoo's older sister. "跟着。"[10]

Well, she assumed the call was for the older girl, because that was the only person who moved to quickly follow the old woman out of the room. The older girl had not said a word, or even looked directly at her or Ranma. They were alone in the dining room again with just themselves and Shampoo.

Shampoo's eyes followed the older girl, and she scowled after her. Nabiki had to wonder what Shampoo thought of the old woman calling the older girl in. She scanned the caf顡nd saw that is was empty now. She wondered when the guys crushing on Shampoo had left? It spoke to how seriously she had been paying attention to that meeting, that she hadn't noticed their exit.

Ranma stood up and pushed Shampoo away from himself and set her on the ground. The front of Shampoo's clothes were damp now. Shampoo made a motion to jump on him again, but Ranma danced backwards and put his hands up into a guarding position. He wasn't in a fighting stance, he was just making it clear he didn't want her on him any more. Shampoo sighed and stayed where she was and hung her head.

"Is Kondishonā really your sister?" Ranma asked.

"Shona." Shampoo corrected him with a soft smile and a nod. "She go by Shona. Not like name. Yes, she my sister."

"Same parents?" She jumped in curiously.

Shampoo looked over at her and blinked then replied slowly, like she was speaking to a child. "Yes, same parents. Is why I say she is sister."

She still genuinely wondered if their tribe had terms and concepts for _same biological parents_ making _sisters_ real sisters. Or if their terms simply meant maybe the same mother, and the father didn't matter, and so the concept of _sisters_ was a bit more fluid. It wasn't really all that important though, so she didn't press the point.

Ranma walked over to stand next to her, and put his arm around her gently. It was a small but powerful gesture. She tensed a little bit as he did it, she knew that he was making a point of choosing her over Shampoo to drive home his position. Shampoo stared at them for a moment, then looked down again sadly.

She looked at Ranma and angled her head towards the door. He nodded and they pivoted to leave. As they reached the door, Shampoo called out to him in an anguished voice. "It's ending, isn't it?"

Ranma turned his head and looked at Shampoo. She did too. Shampoo was still standing where she had been, but the young Chinese girl was looking up at Ranma again, with tears shining in her eyes. Ranma nodded slowly.

"You're serious this time, aren't you?" Shampoo whispered. Ranma nodded again.

Shampoo looked away sadly, then back at him with eyes shimmering with tears. "I ... I thought ... I had ... more time." Shampoo said sadly.

He looked back to her blankly. She was sure he didn't know what to say to that. She didn't know either, so she shrugged softly. Ranma looked back to Shampoo and tried to say something comforting. "I'm sure there are plenty of guys back in--"

"Not like you." Shampoo interrupted him as she shook her head sadly. "Not like you." The heartbroken Chinese girl whispered with a catch in her voice, it was clear she wanted to cry. He stopped trying to talk and just nodded. She was sure he had no idea how to proceed from here.

"Well ... we should probably get going..." She interjected after a few moments had passed with neither of them speaking. Shampoo darted her eyes to her and she caught a flash of a glare, then it was gone as Shampoo plastered a fake smile on her face. The fake smile actually unnerved her more than the glare had. She had also noticed that Shampoo's Japanese had suddenly gotten suspiciously much better than usual. She wondered if Ranma had noticed.

Ranma had caught the glare too, and frowned as he stepped so he was between Shampoo and herself as he tightened his arm on her waist. She reached back and carefully opened the door behind herself. She knew that they were standing on a powder keg, and one wrong move could set it off. As soon as the door was open, she stepped backwards through it, and pulled Ranma with her since he was still holding on to her waist. As soon as Ranma had cleared the door, she reached past him and slid it shut again.

Ranma finally looked at her again once the door blocked his sight of Shampoo.

"Well ... that was intense." She said after a deep breath before she smiled at him.

He smiled nervously at her. "Yeah ... it was."

They turned without discussion to head back to the Tendo household. Ranma kept looking back over his shoulder for a while, then stopped and kept his attention to the sides and straight ahead. He didn't say anything, but she figured the reason he had stopped watching their backs was because he knew Doctor Tofu was trailing them now. She sighed and tried to ignore it all. She had known how crazy the circus surrounding him was, but it was one thing to know something intellectually; it was another thing to have to deal with it for real.

She grew tired of walking with him quietly after a while. So she asked a question that had been floating around in her mind since lunchtime. "So, what did you think of Riko and Yui?"

He looked at her and smiled. "I thought they were ... interesting."

She frowned at that. _Interesting_ could mean a lot of things. "Did you have fun?" She pressed him.

He nodded and smiled. "Oh, yeah ... once I got used to them, they were actually a lot of fun. Very funny." He said quietly.

She was happy about that because it opened the door for her to invite him again. "Would you like to come eat with us again tomorrow?" She asked. She tried not to sound too eager, but she knew she did anyway.

"I dunno, Kiki ... twice in one week..." He said with a smile.

She smiled back, she _loved_ that he was starting to tease her now. "Yes, twice in one week. How else are you going to learn more names that annoy me?" She asked sweetly.

"It's too bad it annoys you ... I think it's kinda cute." He said softly.

She smiled at that. She wasn't sure how serious he was being, but it was a nice sentiment anyway. "I already told you that you could use it when we're alone." She said happily.

He nodded with a small smile on his face. "But, yeah, anyway, of course I'll eat lunch with you and your friends. I gotta stay close to you until this is all over anyway." He said seriously.

She sighed. She really wanted him to want to be with her because he wanted to, and not because he felt he needed to. "Hey, I held my own against Kodachi today for a while. I'm not as helpless as you think I am." She said in the deepest, meanest voice she could make as she punched him lightly on the arm.

He looked over at her with wide eyes, and she laughed at his expression. He smiled. "You did. I saw you, I saw the last few seconds of the fight as I was running to get there. You had a battle aura and everything." He said in an approving tone.

She stopped walking. She did it so abruptly that he actually had to stop short and double back to her. He gathered her up in one of his arms protectively as he scanned all around them looking for threats. "What's wrong? You all right?" He asked as he raised his free hand into a guard position.

She pushed him back and shook her head. "Nothing's wrong. I'm just shocked. Are you sure, really _sure_ that I had a battle aura?" She whispered.

He looked at her with a look of confusion on his face and nodded his head. "Of course I'm sure. I would know a battle aura on anyone." He said confidently.

She looked down at the ground. "But how? How is that possible?" She whispered.

"You studied until you were like twelve, right?" He asked her.

She nodded without looking up. Her mind was racing. She should _not_ have been able to use a battle aura. She wasn't trained to do it. She could see Daddy and Akane's auras occasionally, when they were strong. But she shouldn't have been able to make one of her own. Should she?

"Kiki ... you all right?" He asked her. He still had his arm on her waist, even though she had pushed him back a bit. He was very protective of her. That both annoyed her and delighted her.

"I ... I'm fine. I just ... I always thought only people like you and Daddy could make a battle aura..." She whispered as she looked up at him.

He smiled a genuine smile at her. "And what makes you think that you aren't someone like us?" He asked her kindly.

She shook her head emphatically. "Come on, be serious. I'm not even as skilled as Akane is." She said with a frown as she pulled on him to start walking again.

He settled into step with her and was quiet for a moment then answered her unspoken question. "A battle aura is ... different ... than trained skill. It's ... it's hard to explain, actually." He said as he put a hand behind his head awkwardly.

She just looked at him and waited. She could tell he was thinking about it, so she left him alone to his thoughts as her own thoughts churned. _If I can produce a battle aura ... that means I can really do it. If I trained, I could ..._ she thought to herself as the ideas bounced around in her head. It would be .... nice ... not to have to be protected all the time.

"Okay, it's like this..." Ranma announced as he finished thinking about how to explain it to her. She looked over at him expectantly. "Your battle aura is just your Ki energy that you're usin' when you fight. The more you know how to use and the more of it you use, the brighter and stronger your battle aura will be. But that's only one way Ki is used. Everyone has Ki energy. Everyone uses their Ki, especially when they're scared or angry, and also when they are really happy. Pops says that adrenaline brings it out in people much easier than other times."

She just listened and nodded.

"Ki is just what we call somethin' none of us really understand. It's ... part of the energy inside you that makes you who ya are. It's also in nature too. Lots of people think there's a push and pull between what is inside you, and what's outside you. The Anything Goes school doesn't care about that. We teach about Ki only as an energy source to power our attacks. But ... I've looked into it more than Pops has, and probably your Dad as well. I think ... it's more than that. Doctor Tofu is kind of livin' proof of that. I think he's a Master of Ki manipulation. That's why he can be so sneaky, and he can hit so hard, yet he seems to be so nice." Ranma said in an excited voice.

She smiled as he talked about the Art. She loved how passionate about it he was.

"And besides, you've had real trainin'. I don't know how your dad trained you, but I've seen him fight. He knows what he's doing. I'm sure he must have showed you how to use your Ki. All students of the Anything Goes style have to know how to use it." He said earnestly.

She thought back to the days she had spent training with Daddy. She remembered sparring him. She remembered practicing the self defense techniques. She remembered _lots_ of long talks about the Art, and duty and honor, and frankly the stuff that had bored her and made her want to quit. She didn't remember anything about Ki or battle auras. She shrugged at him in wordless defeat.

He shook his head at her and smiled. "No, you must have. Even an untrained person can use their Ki energy. But it takes trainin' to produce a battle aura. You don't remember that you remember, but you must. Would you ... would you like me to try to help you remember how?" He asked softly.

She looked at him and thought about it hard. She should probably ask Daddy, he was the one who had trained her. But ... he was also not the same person anymore. The other major reason she had stopped training was because after Mom died, once Daddy had been able to train her again, it hadn't been the same. He had just mostly stood there and sadly looked around the dojo purposelessly. He didn't coach her like he had before Mom had died. He mostly just set her tasks to do like one hundred punches on each side, and katas over and over again.

She'd grown to hate it, and had stopped not long afterward. Come to think of it, she didn't think she'd made it to twelve, she had probably been more like ten or so. The memory was fuzzy. By the time she'd quit, Daddy hadn't even been motivated enough to come and get her for training any more, she had been having to go get him for training on the days they'd trained.

Akane had continued ... mostly on her own. That was one of the main reasons Akane spent a lot of time on strength and endurance training. It didn't require coaching or even another person. But breaking bricks and lifting weights didn't really make someone better in the Art, it just made them stronger. Akane did make Daddy spar with her though, and occasionally Daddy would snap out of it enough to even coach Akane every now and then. He had gotten better over time after Mom's passing. But she had quit long before then.

She looked over at Ranma and saw someone who could really teach her again. Yes, it would be complicated because they were involved. But, she realized that she had been missing it. She hadn't really wanted to quit. She had quit because it had become unbearable. And Ranma was here, and could teach her, and seemed to want to teach her. _Why shouldn't I?_ She thought stubbornly as she nodded eagerly. "Yes. Yes I would like that." She whispered excitedly.

"Let's do it, then." He replied, just as excited.

  


\--------------

1\. "关上门 (Guān shàngmén - close the door)"

2\. "可能我再试试 (Kěnéng wǒ zài shì shì -- I may try again)?"

3\. "你可以，如果你想。(Nǐ kěyǐ, rúguǒ nǐ xiǎng. -- You can, if you wish.)"

4\. "不要让您的希望太高了，孙女。(Bùyào ràng nín de xīwàng tài gāole, sūnnǚ. -- Do not get your hopes too high, granddaughter.)"

5\. "我们可以杀死她，并带他。 (Wǒmen kěyǐ shā sǐ tā, bìng dài tā. -- We can kill her, and take him)."

6\. "不，如果我们杀了一个他爱，他将永远，永远，爱我。 (Bù, rúguǒ wǒmen shāle yīgè tā ài, tā jiāng yǒngyuǎn, yǒngyuǎn, ài wǒ. -- No, if we kill the one he loves, he will never, ever love me)."

7\. "还 有更多比爱情岌岌可危，孙女。 (Hái yǒu gèng duō bǐ àiqíng jíjíkěwéi, sūnnǚ. -- There is more than love at stake, granddaughter)."

8\. "我 ... 我知道。 (Wǒ ... Wǒ zhīdào. -- I ... I know)."

9\. "来这 (Lái zhè -- come)."

10\. "跟着 (Gēnzhe -- Follow)."


	29. It's Intense The First Time

[soundtrack for this one was: **Shatter Me Featuring Lzzy Hale** , by **Lindsey Stirling** ]

  


"Kasumi, can you come here?" Nabiki called out as they arrived home. She put an arm around Ranma and held on to him. She didn't want him bolting away.

"Coming." She heard her older sister call out from somewhere deeper in the house. Ranma looked over at her, but didn't say anything, she could tell he knew she was summoning Kasumi for him, but he seemed to be enjoying her holding him anyway. She smiled at him playfully.

Kasumi walked serenely into the entryway with her hands clasped in front of her. She had a feeling Kasumi was feeling pretty good these days with Doctor Tofu around all the time. "Yes, what is it, Nabiki?" Kasumi asked.

"Ranma hurt his hand earlier, can you look at it?" She said in a voice she tried very hard to make not sound like she was telling on him.

He looked over at her and frowned. "I'm fine." He then looked over at Kasumi and repeated himself. "Really, I'm fine."

She shook her head. "The nurse thought it could get infected. He wouldn't let the nurse look at it. He caught a spiked club in his bare hand, and it was bleeding."

"I'm tellin' ya, I'm fine, it's nothin'. I don't need no--"

"Ranma ... " Kasumi interrupted him sweetly as she moved over to put a hand on his shoulder. When Kasumi stood very close, the very faint rose petal scent she smelled like from the sachets she kept in her dresser, were noticeable. She knew from experience that Kasumi's hands were warm, even through clothing. She had a feeling that was because Kasumi worked so often with her hands.

"Y-yes?" Ranma asked, suddenly losing his bluster.

"Will you be able to do your duty and protect my sisters if your hand gets infected?" Kasumi asked him, still in her sweet voice, but with a hint of an edge of steel behind it.

"S-sure, I could fight with just one hand if I--"

"Would you be able to fight as well, and protect them as well, with only one hand? Would you do as well against multiple opponents?" Kasumi pressed as she let the steel seep into her voice a bit more.

Ranma hung his head and deflated. "No. I wouldn't." He admitted.

"May I look at your hand and treat it?" Kasumi asked, again in her sweet voice.

He nodded, defeated. She grinned at him. "Oh, come on, Ranma. Worst case scenario is you have to endure some rubbing alcohol, then you get a pretty bandage to make it all better." She said cheerfully. He glared at her, but she could tell he wasn't actually mad at her. She switched from a one-armed hug to wrapping herself around his right arm to try to make it up to him. She felt him sag into her a bit as he relaxed. "Come on, let's go let big sister Kasumi look at us, all right?" She said in a sing-song voice. He scowled at her, but let her lead him to follow Kasumi to the kitchen.

She sat him down at the table, and took the chair next to him. She changed from hanging on him to just holding his hand. He frowned at her again, but sat obediently in the chair and waited while Kasumi grabbed one of the first aid boxes from the cupboard.

Kasumi came and sat down opposite Ranma and opened up the box and started pulling out antiseptic wipes, cotton balls, and bandages, and laying them out in the lid of the box. When she was done she looked expectantly at him.

When he didn't move, Kasumi narrowed her eyes at him. He sighed and pulled his left arm up from below the table and laid it on the table. His hand was still closed into a fist though.

"Come on, open up." Kasumi said sweetly. Ranma sighed, and obeyed.

She looked along with Kasumi. He had a small puncture at the base of his palm along the meat of the part that connected to his thumb, there was a tiny scratch that led away from it to the edge of his palm. The source of the bleeding had been the puncture wound. It wasn't really any worse than what he would have gotten if he'd accidentally grabbed a rose stem the wrong way and jabbed himself with it lightly. It wasn't bleeding any more, but it was red around the edges.

Kasumi _tsked_ at it and began lightly swabbing the area with the disinfectant wipes. They came away mostly clean, with just traces of red. Kasumi then reached into the kit and pulled out a little bottle of rubbing alcohol, and held one of the cotton balls over the mouth of it as she tipped it over and soaked it, then repeated the cleaning process. "Just to be safe." Kasumi said as she reached for his hand again. Ranma nodded.

She could tell that it actually did sting him, but she knew he would never flinch or admit he was in pain to the two of them. His father had drilled into him too hard that he had to be a big strong man. She decided to not joke about it right now, considering he was only enduring the process at all, because of her. She was also feeling slightly queasy from the sharp and sickly-sweet smell of the rubbing alcohol, which put her into even less of a joking mood.

Once Kasumi was done with the antiseptic cotton ball, she put it to the side, and used a couple more cotton balls to pat the wound dry. Then her older sister made her day by holding up two bandages. In Kasumi's left hand was a bandage with little baby chickens on it, in her right hand the bandage had rainbows and smiley faces on it.

Ranma frowned. "Can't I ... just leave it as it is?" He asked with disapproval.

Kasumi shook her head. "You have to keep it clean for a while to let it heal and close up the wound. Pick one."

He sighed and pointed to Kasumi's left hand.

She grinned but again held her tongue. She'd tease him later once the sting of the indignity of the whole process had worn off.

When Kasumi was done a moment later he quickly yanked his hand off the table to hide it again by his side. Kasumi smiled at him and reached over and ruffled his hair affectionately. "There now, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Kasumi asked softly.

He shook his head at her hesitantly. She knew his pride was hurting more than his hand was. He focused on her and clearly tried to change the subject. "Did you want to go to the dojo now and work on your battle aura?" He asked her quietly.

She shook her head. "Not yet, I need to do something first. Meet you there in a few minutes?" She asked.

He narrowed his eyes at her. She knew he didn't like splitting up from her. She sighed. "I'm home with you, and Doctor Tofu, and your Dad, and my Daddy, Ranma. And I promised you I would yell if I needed help in the future." She whispered.

He sighed as well, then nodded. "All right, I'll go wait for you in the dojo." He then stood up from the table, and walked quickly out of the kitchen. He kept a wary eye on Kasumi as he exited. She smiled at his eagerness to get away from Kasumi.

Kasumi smiled after him as well then looked at her and raised her eyebrows. She knew Kasumi wanted to talk to her about everything that had been going on. She still wasn't ready to though. So she smiled weakly back at Kasumi and hurried to follow Ranma's example of fleeing the kitchen.

She paused at the doorway though, and looked back at Kasumi, who was still watching her patiently. "Where's Daddy?" She asked.

"Father is getting some rest in his room. Doctor Tofu made him after he finished repairing the wall today." Kasumi said in a tone that suggested she leave him alone. She nodded and turned to leave. She had to do two things right now that she didn't want to do, but felt she had to.

As she made her way up the stairs she decided she would just pop in and see Daddy real quick and do what she had to do. She wanted to do it before she lost her nerve. She arrived at his door moments later and paused. She always felt weird about going into his room. That was the room he had shared with Mom. Mom's things were still in there. It was a ... private place.

"Daddy?" She said as she knocked on the door frame as she entered his room. His door had been left open.

He sat up immediately out of his futon and look at her in alarm. "What is it? Attackers?" He asked as he started to rise out of bed.

She hurried over to him and took his hand and held it between hers. "No, everyone's fine, it's all right." She said soothingly as she pushed on his shoulders to get him to lie back down as she knelt down next to him. Her hands were already shaking.

He sank back on tense muscles. She could tell he was exhausted. "You can relax, Daddy. The Amazons have called a two day truce. Shampoo's grandmother promised it this morning." She whispered to him soothingly as she stroked his hair back from his forehead.

He squeezed her hand gently and smiled as he closed his tired eyes. "That's good. It's not good for you to be so worried, baby." He said softly.

"I'm not worried, Daddy. I have you to protect me." She whispered in a voice that was breaking.

He cracked an eye open. "You will always have me to protect you, baby." He said. "Have faith in Ranma too. It is part of his duty to protect you as well." He added.

She smiled. She knew, she just _knew_ in her heart that Ranma would die before he allowed her or her sisters to be hurt. He had never said that to her specifically, but she knew it was true. "Don't worry, Daddy, Ranma is being a good boy." She said weakly. She wasn't here to talk about Ranma.

"Good ... good, nothing is going to happen to you girls. Don't you worry, baby." He said sleepily.

"I'm not worried. After all, you trained all of us to fight." Her voice broke more as the emotion hit her and she tried to will herself to not cry. Her whole body was shaking now. "You trained all of us ... how to survive being attacked. Even though some of us might have complained at the time." She said in a voice heavy with emotion. She was about to lose control, she couldn't see anymore, her vision was blurry with tears. She sank back on her heels as she started to lose the battle against the emotion.

He looked up at her in alarm as the tears started to stream down her cheeks. She was reliving the fear from when she had been attacked in her mind in a delayed reaction to what had happened to her. "Nabiki, what's the matter?" Daddy asked her urgently as he started to sit up again.

She lost control then and fell into his arms as she wrapped her hands around his neck and let herself cry. "Thank you, Daddy! Thank you so much! You saved my life today!" She managed to get out in between shuddering gasps as she cried and shook as she let the fear from earlier hit her. Akane and Ranma were always brave when they were attacked. She had felt she needed to be brave too. She had made herself ignore it and be brave. But here, alone with her Daddy, she could admit how scared she had been.

Her Daddy scooped her up into his strong arms and sat up with her as he pulled her into his lap and held her while he rubbed her back and stroked her hair, just like he had done when she was little. "Nabiki ... what ... I did what?" He asked softly, in confusion.

She didn't answer him right away. She let her breathing calm down first as she tried to regain control of herself. "I ... I was attacked today." She finally said. She could feel him tensing in anger under her. She was sure he was about to demand to know where Ranma had been. "I was ambushed." She added quickly. "Ranma and Akane both came and helped me as soon as they knew." She reassured him.

"So ... how ... did I save your life, then?" He asked as he relaxed again.

"Do you ... do you remember that drill you used to make me practice every day for over a year when I was very little? The one you told me was all Martial, and no Art?"

He nodded. "Of course I remember, baby."

"It works." She said simply in a shuddering voice.

He didn't say anything for a moment, then he slowly brought his arms up to cradle her neck and back as he pulled her into a much tighter hug and buried his face in her neck. He was crying.

"I'm so glad, baby. I'm so glad! I had hoped ... I had hoped you would never need to use it, but I am very happy you could use it to get away from danger." He said as he clutched her to himself.

She nodded fiercely. She was going to cry again if she tried to talk. A minute or so passed as her Daddy rocked her back and forth and held her to him as she allowed herself to do something she almost never did, and dropped all her masks and was just herself for a while -- a young girl who loved her Daddy and was thankful for what he'd done for her.

As she regained control she did something else she almost never did, admit she had been wrong. "You were right, Daddy ... and I was wrong, and foolish. I should have continued my training." She whispered to him.

He was silent for a while as he held her. After a few moments had gone by, he finally responded to her. "It's not too late, you know. You could pick up where you left off." His voice was shaking.

She nodded. Then she began to tell him about the attack, and how she had used the training she had remembered. She told him of the practicing she still did, and all of the details she could remember of the fight. He listened and gave her tips, and nodded when she told him about everything. It was the closest she had been to him in a long time. She even told him about the battle aura Ranma had seen on her.

When she was done and it was time to go, she got up from his lap and made her way softly to the door. Daddy laid back down in his bed, still exhausted. She paused at the door when he called her name, though. "Nabiki..."

"Yes, Daddy?"

"I'm proud of you." He whispered.

She looked back at him and smiled. "Thank you, Daddy. Get some sleep. I ... I'm going to go train." She whispered.

"That's my girl." Daddy said sleepily. "Proud of you." He said again as he drifted back to sleep.

She made her way to the dojo on light feet, but with a heavy heart. That was just the first of the two things she had to do that she didn't want to. The second one was going to be much harder.

She found Ranma waiting for her in the center of the dojo. He was kneeling calmly and watching the door for her. His eyes lit up when he saw her. He quickly got to his feet as she approached him.

She smiled at that. It delighted her that he was so happy to see her. She made her way over to him as he stood up and reached his hands out for her. He seemed to need to touch her a lot more now. She loved that.

"Ranma, before we start, I have to tell you something." She said reluctantly, then bit her lower lip as she met his eyes. She was dreading what she was about to do. She could already feel herself starting to shake as the reality of what she was about to do settled in on her.

She could tell that he picked up right away from her voice that she felt guilty about something. His eyes narrowed. "What?" He asked guardedly.

"Can we sit and talk for a minute?" She asked carefully as she tried desperately to keep her emotions off her face. Even though he wasn't glaring at her, it still really made her feel bad to have him look negatively at her. He nodded and let go of her hands to sit down at her feet. He looked up at her with expectant eyes. She followed his example and sat down where she was standing and met his eyes as she took a couple of calming breaths.

"What's goin' on? You're freakin' me out." He said quietly.

She smiled at him and reached a hand out for him. He took it and wrapped it up in his warm hand. That made her feel a little better. She took another long slow breath then met his eyes again. "I kind of broke one of my promises to you today." She whispered to him.

His eyes narrowed again, and she looked down, ashamed. She felt him tense his hand like he was going to yank it away from hers. She relaxed her hand to let him, if that was what he wanted. A moment later he whispered back to her. "What do ya mean by, 'kinda'?"

He hadn't taken his hand away ... yet. She took another deep breath and met his eyes again. He wasn't glaring at her, but he did look disapproving. She knew that he knew that she was well aware that he had been keeping all of his promises to her. She began slowly. "Akane and I talked after you left the nurse's office today." He nodded as if that was obvious. "She ... she started crying because I was talking about you. She's ... very upset that you haven't taken her back yet." Ranma face changed from disapproval, to worry.

"What did you do?" He whispered in an alarmed tone.

"I ... I told her the truth, well ... as much as I felt she was entitled to hear, anyway." She paused and looked into his eyes again. He wasn't scowling at her, or looking worried or disapproving, he was just ... waiting. She sighed and pushed onward. "Akane asked for me to give you back; I told her you weren't mine to give. She was ... very upset by that." She whispered. Ranma's hand tightened on hers, but his eyes gave nothing away about what he was feeling. He still wasn't saying anything. "She ... asked me if I was just playing games, I told her ... I wasn't." She admitted in a very small voice.

He nodded at that and finally asked a question. "When did you break a promise?"

She grimaced and blurted out the rest of it before she lost her nerve. "I interfered with your relationship with Akane. Akane was ... in a really bad place. She needed me to say something, anything to help her. So, I gave her some advice." She said gingerly. He raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't say anything as he waited patiently for her to finish. "I ... told her ... she needed to be honest about her feelings if she wanted to get what she wanted." She whispered as she looked down again.

Silence stretched between them for a few moments. It was a silence that hurt more with every passing heartbeat. She could feel him drifting away from her. She'd broken her promise, and now he could end their deal, and everything was falling apart, and she was so stupid! _Why?! Why did I do it?! Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!_ She berated herself.

"Is that all?" Ranma finally said as he broke the silence.

She looked up at him and found him looking at her expectantly. She swallowed hard and nodded.

He smiled at her, and grasped her hand more firmly. "That's not breakin' your promise. Interferin' would be showing up on a date and causing a problem, or lyin' to her and telling her I said stuff I didn't, or things like that. All you did was tell her to be honest. You didn't break your promise as far as I'm concerned." He said calmly.

She felt a huge weight lift off her that she hadn't realized she was carrying. She was suddenly able to breathe easier. She nodded at him in a jerky head bob as she fought to hold back the tears that wanted to come. She didn't know why she felt like crying, but she did. He squeezed her hand again and she looked up at him.

"Want to learn about battle auras now?" He asked cheerfully as he started to stand up. She could tell he was also hurrying back to Martial Arts to pull her attention away from her worries. She was sure that had more to do with his uneasiness around crying girls than anything else. It still made her happy though.

She nodded her head eagerly. "Yes!" She said as she rose to her feet on shaky legs as he reached down and helped pull her up. She just stood there after that and waited while she looked at him.

He smiled and put his hands behind his back. "Want to try to make your own battle aura by yourself first?" He asked.

She shrugged. "I can try, but I don't think I can. I don't remember how." She said.

"You know, your body remembers. You can't have trained in the Anything Goes style for as long as you did, without learning how." He said confidently. She just stood and looked at him doubtfully. He smiled at her. "Trust me." He whispered.

She nodded. "All right, well, show me how." She said.

"Give me your hand." He said as he held out his own hand.

She reached out and put her hand in his warm palm.

"Now close your eyes." He said softly.

She did so.

"Listen to the sound of my voice." He said softly in a slower cadence than he usually spoke in. "Concentrate on my voice, I'm gonna help you look inside yourself."

"Okay." She whispered. She was strangely excited.

"Imagine my voice as a warm summer breeze."

She nodded.

"The breeze is on your face. It's moving your hair. You're breathing it inside you. Can you feel it?"

"Yes." She whispered. She really could, she could feel his words moving around in the air around her, and she was breathing them in now.

"Great. Now, imagine that inside of you is a sun. It isn't your heart, or your gut or anything else. It's just you. It's warm, and it's there for you to reach for, you can grab hold of it, if you focus."

She gasped. He was describing what she did when she needed courage to do what had to be done. Her mind skipped back to when she was a little girl. She was standing in this very dojo, doing an exercise very similar to this with her Daddy.

  


" _Reach inside yourself and grab hold of it, Nabiki. That's my girl. Now, open your eyes, and hold on to it._ "

_She had, and she had seen her very own little battle aura dancing on her skin. Daddy was glowing too. And ... so was Mommy. Mommy was standing against the wall and watching. Mommy was glowing with pride! Her own little aura had gotten brighter as she saw Mommy being proud of her._

_She could do it, she could do it!_

_And she had. She had held her focus on the power inside herself and drilled with Daddy while Mommy had watched, and called out corrections for her footwork, and encouraged her._

  


She gasped again and snapped back to the present. She opened her eyes and looked at Ranma. He was staring at her wide-eyed. She looked down and saw that she was flickering with a little blue battle aura. It wasn't anywhere near as big as what Ranma or even Akane could produce. It was about the same as the one she had been able to make when she was a little girl.

Ranma stared at her in shock for a little bit longer, then smiled.

"See, I told you that you'd remember."

She nodded fiercely as she fought back tears. For some reason, she felt like crying when he praised her about it.

"I didn't even talk you through tapping into the power or focusing it to make the battle aura. You did that all on your own." He said, sounding impressed.

"I...I...I remembered. I remembered... Daddy, showing me how to do this." She said. She lost focus then, and her aura flickered out. She realized that at some point she had let go of his hand.

He smiled gently and reached his hand out for her again. "Want to try again?" He asked. She nodded enthusiastically. "I'm not going to walk you through it this time, let's see if you can bring it out on your own." He said with confidence.

She nodded and closed her eyes as she breathed deeply and reached inside herself. She found the center of herself easily enough. It was what she always went looking for when she needed courage. She grabbed hold of it, and _pulled_ and opened her eyes again. Her flickering blue aura was dancing on her skin again. It was the _pull_ and the focus on making it do something that she usually didn't do, when she needed to be brave. Usually just having a hold on it was enough for her to be brave enough to do what needed to be done.

Ranma nodded at her slowly as he smiled. "Very good. The more you practice it, the easier it will get. Once you can produce it, and hold it while you fight, then you can start using it to power your attacks, and your defenses." He said happily.

"When will I be able to see other people's battle auras?" She asked, excited.

"How about right now?" He asked with a smile.

She nodded eagerly. She hadn't realized how _much_ she wanted to be able to do this until now.

"Okay, well let's start with the simple test." He said as she suddenly felt waves of warmth start pouring off of him. "Can you see anything?" He asked.

She shook her head, disappointed. "No, I can feel the heat of it, but I can't see anything."

He nodded. "All right, well, at least you can feel it. That's something. Not everyone's battle aura is warm, by the way. Ryoga's is always cold. Mine is cold when I use the HiryÅ« ShÅten Ha." He said.

She nodded. "So, now what?" She asked.

"Take my hand." He said softly as he closed his eyes.

She followed his example and closed hers.

"This will be the same idea, but you'll need to think of it differently now. I can guide you better now though, because it's my battle aura you're tryin' ta see." He said quietly. His voice was low and slow enough that it was almost hypnotizing.

She nodded.

"Now, listen to my voice again. It's a warm breeze still, but it's comin' to you from far away."

She nodded.

"You're standin' on a cliff feeling the warm breeze reach you. But the winds on the cliff are cold. You want to stay with the warm breeze. Stay with it." He whispered.

She nodded.

"Follow the warm breeze back to the sun that's makin' it." He said urgently.

She nodded.

"Step to the edge of the cliff. Focus on the warm breeze from far away. Feel it around you, trace it back to where it's comin' from."

"I can feel it." She said. She meant it. She could feel what he was describing.

"Jump off the cliff, Nabiki. Follow the breeze." He said softly.

She took a deep breath and nodded. In her mind she didn't jump so much as fall off the cliff into the breeze. It lifted her up and carried her along with it. "Open your eyes." He whispered.

She did, and gasped. She could see it, she could see his battle aura! It was yellow, and huge. It was glowing around him at least a meter in every direction. She could now match up the waves of heat from him to the flicker and pulse of his aura. It didn't look quite right, though, like it was transparent or something. That disappointed her.

"I can see it, but it's faded. It doesn't look solid like when I see Akane's or Daddy's." She said, frustrated.

"Of course it does, we haven't finished focusing you yet." He said calmly, still in his slow, hypnotic tone. "Ready to focus it?" He asked.

She nodded, eager now.

"Keep your eyes open, now, and listen to the sound of my voice." He said as he matched the pace of his voice to the pace of the waves of the heat from his aura. "My voice is a trail of smoke from a fire. Follow it to the fire." He said.

"Okay." She said, she felt as if she was falling into some sort of a trance.

"Tell me when you find the fire." He said calmly, then started to repeat that same phrase over and over again as he matched pace with the waves of heat streaming off him.

She focused and tried to imagine his voice as smoke from a fire. She was frustrated, it wasn't working.

"Remember, you have a sun inside of you. You can use it to light the way." He said, still in the same cadence.

She nodded and focused on his voice again as he switched back to the repeated phrase. She focused on the sound of his voice, and reached down inside herself and found her core and grabbed hold of it again. She imagined his voice as smoke from a fire, and tried to smell it. She could almost smell ... something. It wasn't smoke from a wood fire though, it was more like burning ozone from superheated air inside an oven. She followed it. She realized almost immediately that it was drawing her down towards Ranma. She closed her eyes and listened with the senses from inside herself, what she thought of as her core.

She felt ... something. She couldn't really even describe it to herself, but it felt like part of her core was reaching out to the bright center inside him. It felt ... warm ... like fire.

She opened her eyes a little bit and whispered, "I think I found the fire."

"Excellent. Now, hold on to it, fix the location of it in your mind." He said softly, still in the same slow, low tone.

She nodded and did what he said. In her mind she was floating in the warm breeze, and looking down at a bright spot on the ground. It wasn't a fire so much as like catching a glimpse of the sun through the leaves of a tree.

"Now ... the sun inside of you, focus on it." He said calmly.

She nodded and did so.

"Pull on it, take threads of it and pull them to the surface, wrap them around yourself." He said softly.

She concentrated, and did what he said. In her mind, she grabbed hold of her core, and pulled at it. It wasn't a sun though, it was more like a warm, fuzzy ball of yarn. She yanked threads out from it and pulled on them until she had a lot of them. Then she just kind of held on to them while she spun into them and wrapped herself in them. They didn't stay threads, though, they just kind of melted into her and shimmered around on her skin like pools of liquid warmth.

"I ... I think I did it." She whispered.

"Perfect. Now, focus on my fire, and reach out to it. Grab threads of it. You should be able to grab it now that you have your own threads wrapped around you." He said with a happy tone in his voice.

She reached out to the heat of his aura, the fire of the center of it, and found that the power of it almost leaped into her hands. In her mind the heat of it rose up and almost overwhelmed her. She pulled back in fright and gasped.

"Easy ... easy ... just a little at a time. Think of it like trying to scoop a rock out of a bowl of water that's almost full. If you just jam your hand in there to get the rock, you'll overflow the bowl. You have to just stick two fingers in there gently, grab it, and pull gently so you won't overflow the bowl." He said, still in his soothing, soft voice.

She nodded and pulled more strength around herself from her core, and eyed the heat of the fire of his aura more warily now. She reached out gingerly in her mind and extended just her little finger. Immediately the heat of his aura flowed to her own power, and joined with it. She gasped again, with delight. It was like having a direct connection with him. She could _feel_ him. Was this how he was able to read her? She felt a part of him agree with her through the link they now shared. She smiled.

"Now, pull gently on the thread. Wrap it around yourself and control it with your own threads. Control it, and make it part of you." He said calmly.

She did as he said and suddenly felt lighter, and heavier at the same time. She felt like a power inside of her was making her able to do things she wouldn't normally be able to do. At the same time, the weight of that made her feel like she shouldn't dare move, and the connection to him was overpowering everything else.

"I'm ... I'm scared ... " She whispered with a tremor in her voice.

"I know, I was too the first time I did this. You're doin' great, Kiki. Don't worry, none of this is dangerous. I wouldn't be much of a teacher if I let you get hurt in your very first lesson, now would I?" He said calmly. She also felt him send what felt like soothing thoughts to her. "Ready to finish the focus?" He asked quietly.

She nodded as she forced herself to relax and trust him.

"All right, now close your eyes again. Now that you have the threads from inside you wrapped around yourself and you have a thread from me controlled and part of it, think of the threads turning to water. Think of them covering you like you just got out of a bath, or like you're standin' in the rain, or however you want to imagine it."

She was already imagining her threads as pools of liquid warmth shimmering around her, so it was easy for her to shift that to what he was describing. "Okay, I think I am doing it." She whispered.

"Great. Now, pull on the power of the sun inside you and push it into the water around you. Make the water into steam, and push it around you so that it surrounds me too."

She concentrated, and found that the power inside of herself was only too eager to be pulled to the surface. She didn't know how to use it though, so she just imagined it as heat and pushed it around her and imagined the water turning to steam. She pushed on it until it was around him as well.

"Open your eyes." Ranma whispered. He sounded like he was whispering right in her ear.

She opened her eyes and blinked in wonder. She could see his battle aura as clearly as she could see Akane's. It was like they were in a little bubble she had created around them. The rest of the world around them seemed muted, dark, and lifeless. Only here in her bubble did she feel alive, unbelievably alive. It took her breath away, she wanted to sink to her knees in awe.

"Can you see it?" He asked. He still sounded very close to her, even though he wasn't that close.

She nodded. His aura was very bright now. He was standing across from her in a relaxed stance. His clothes and hair were ruffling around him like they were being stirred by an unseen breeze. She was glowing as well, and there was a bridge between them now. A tiny stream of her blue energy was entwined around a tiny stream of his yellow energy. Wherever their two streams touched, they merged to make a bright jade-green. She looked down and saw streams of his yellow aura dancing around on her skin, mixing with her blue.

"What do you think?" He asked warmly.

"Wow." Was all she could think to say.

He smiled enormously with eyes shimmering with happiness.

She was breathless. She could feel herself on the verge of hyperventilating. She couldn't believe how alive she felt right now. She felt like a little girl again. She felt like laughing, skipping, jumping, rolling around on the ground and giggling madly for no reason whatsoever.

"Ranma ... I ... wow! ... I can't ... what do you ... how does this ..." She tried to say as multiple questions rose to her mind at the same time.

"It's intense the first time, isn't it?" He whispered. He sounded very happy. He also still sounded like he was literally right next to her. Even though she could see him in front of her.

"It's ... wow! ... Ranma, wow! Is it ... is it like this for you all the time? Is this how you see the world?" She whispered, awestruck as tears streamed down her cheeks. She wasn't sad, she was blown away by emotion. She felt herself resonating with him in a way that was making her shake. She'd never felt _anything_ like this before. She felt closer to him now than she had since she had known him. She couldn't even fully wrap her mind around how special the moment they were sharing was. Something inside her was straining. With every passing moment she spent with him, she wanted him to be part of her even more strongly. She felt like everything she was awakening in her core was shifting things inside her. She could feel something deep inside her straining to the point of almost cracking. She felt wonderful and ... ached at the same time.

He smiled softly at her. "No, not all the time. Only when I use my Ki to see, like you're doing now." He whispered.

She didn't know why, but it felt like whispering was _required_ right now, like it would be sacrilegious to speak in a normal voice right now. He seemed to agree with her, because he was also was whispering.

"Do you have to go through that exercise every time you want to use your Ki to see?" She asked, curious.

She felt him laugh through the connection they were sharing. He pushed warmth to her and smiled as he shook his head. "No, it gets easier once you know how." He said with a bit of mirth in his voice.

"How are you doing that?" She asked, curious.

"Doing what?" He asked calmly.

"I can feel you pushing feelings and other stuff to me." She whispered.

"That's how you're able to see with your Ki right now, it's kind of a guided tour. This is how Pops taught me. You can feel me sending you things, because you're seeing through me." He said softly.

"I'm, wait, what?" She asked, confused.

He smiled at her. "The exercise I took you through is known as the Fractal Ki Mirror. The student draws on the power of their Ki and wraps themselves in it. Then the student connects to the teacher, and the teacher then helps the student to see through their own Ki by helping the student to focus through their shared connection on an infinite number of reflections of the student's own Ki surrounding them."

"What happens if the connection breaks?" She asked, worried.

"If you concentrate, you'll still be able to see my battle aura, but the bubble will break, and most of the heightened senses you feel right now will fade. You may be able to hold it on your own for a while, or it may collapse almost immediately." He replied calmly.

She wanted to try. She also really, really wanted to stay in this bubble with him ... forever. She looked around a little bit longer in wonder, then looked at him and nodded. "I'd like to try to hold it on my own. How do I do that?" She asked.

"Simple. Continue doing exactly what you're doing. _Believe_ that you can see, stay connected to your own Ki, and focus on seeing the world around you as you draw on your Ki." He said.

That didn't sound all that terribly simple, but she nodded and tried to do what he described. When she was ready, she took a deep, shuddering breath and nodded again. "Ready." She whispered.

He nodded and a moment later she felt him withdraw his own presence from her. She immediately felt the sensation of being heavy and light fade. The bubble shattered a moment later then faded away, and the giddy euphoria went with it. She concentrated, and pulled on her own power as she gasped as the power of their connection let go of her. She looked at him, and was relieved to see that she could still see his battle aura. It didn't seem quite as bright as before, and she didn't have all of the extra perceptions of him that she'd had when she had been seeing the world through the power of his Ki, but she found that she was getting little tiny bits of those perceptions on her own. He smiled widely at her.

"Very good." I lost it almost the moment Pops broke the connection the first time we did that drill.

"I think I have ... a better teacher ... than you did..." She breathed her reply as she struggled to maintain her focus. A moment later, she lost it and it all faded.

She sank slowly to the floor of the dojo on legs that wouldn't support her any more. She was exhausted and shaking with emotion. He came over and sat down next to her. She didn't feel any heat from him any more.

She looked up at him, and found him smiling at her. "You did very, very good. A lot better than I was expectin', actually. Your Dad had to have trained you to do at least some of that. There's no way you should've been able to do that like that as an absolute beginner. But, I don't think he ever showed you seein' with your Ki, and you did very good with that too. So, I dunno, maybe you're just a natural." He said with a grin.

She smiled at him as she breathed deeply and tried to regain her energy.

"Here, eat this." He said as he handed her a little round ball and sat down next to her.

"What is it?" She asked as she popped it into her mouth. It was like a cookie, but it had like a jam or something similar filling.

"Pops says it's Mom's recipe. He calls them energy balls. I have a feelin' Mom's actual recipe isn't named something dumb like that, but it's too good to not be hers. Knowin' him, he probably swiped it when she wasn't lookin'. But it's good, isn't it? I keep some on me when I can for moments like these." He said quietly.

"When ... when do you make them?" She asked, shocked that he baked. She also noticed that she was starting to feel better, and stronger.

He smiled. "I try to make them when I'm home alone. It doesn't happen very often, so when I'm home alone, I try to make a couple batches of them, and then I hide them around the house. If I know I'm gonna need some before I'll be home alone again, I just make 'em really late at night. It's hard to do though, because Kasumi's a light sleeper, and baking smells wake her up. I figured out that if I use a fan and open a window though, she doesn't smell 'em baking." He said softly.

She just blinked at him in shock. She couldn't believe he had this side to himself. "You're ... a complicated guy, aren't you?" She asked with a smile.

He smiled. "You're one to talk." He whispered.

She had to agree with him on that. She probably hid more stuff about herself than he did. She resolved to share some more about herself with him on their date. It was only fair.

"So, what did you think of seeing with your Ki?" He asked her.

"It was ... amazing, especially when I was seeing through yours. Holy crap, Ranma, I had to fight myself to not just stay like that forever. The way you can see the world ... it's amazing." She said.

"And now you understand why I love the Art so much." He replied.

"Well, I mean, there's looking at the world like that, and then there's having someone try to kick your head in. Two really different things there, Ranma." She joked as she leaned into him happily.

She was about to make another joke when she heard a noise. She looked up at the same time Ranma did. There was someone watching them from the hallway that joined the dojo to the house.

It was Akane.


	30. You Forget Who You're Speaking To

Akane had tears in her eyes as she looked at her and Ranma sitting on the floor of the dojo together. Her little sister opened her mouth to speak, then closed it, then opened it again. Finally, after several failed attempts, Akane managed to whisper the message she had come to tell them. "Kasumi told me ... to tell you ... that dinner's almost ready." Akane said, despondently.

Before Nabiki could say anything, Akane spun on her heel and ran back towards the house.

"Go after her, Ranma. Talk to her." She said urgently.

"But—" He started to protest.

"You don't have to tell her anything you don't want to, you don't need to promise her anything, you don't need to do anything you don't want to. But, I know she would really like to talk to you. Can you just go and talk to her, and listen to her?" She whispered. When he didn't move after a moment, as emotions warred across his face, she asked him again. "Please?"

He looked at her as he made up his mind, and nodded, then immediately jumped up and ran after Akane.

She stared after him for a moment, then got up on shaky legs to head back to the house. She caught a glimpse of him following Akane out to the courtyard as she walked down the walkway to the house. She deliberately kept walking and didn't linger to watch them. She softly wiped her cheeks with the backs of her hands as she walked. Even though they had been tears of wonder, she didn't want to have to explain them to anyone.

 _I have to trust him. Akane is going to try to take him back. If he goes back to her ... then it was never meant to be. I just have to ... believe ... that he'll choose me._ She thought to herself with stubborn determination that she tried to use to mask her fear.

She wanted Akane to be happy, and she knew Akane was hurting right now. Talking to Ranma might make her sister feel better. Of course, knowing the two of them, and his tendency to put his foot in his mouth, it could make Akane feel worse. She shrugged as she walked. There was only so much she could do to help.

She turned the corner as she entered the house, and almost ran into Kasumi, who was standing in the shadows of the doorway and looking out at the courtyard. She knew without turning around that Kasumi was watching them.

"Hello Kasumi. Akane said you had dinner almost ready?" She said, deliberately trying to ignore what was going on behind her.

Kasumi didn't take her eyes off where she was looking. "It was very kind of you to send Ranma to her." Kasumi said, ignoring what she had said.

"I ... well ... " She stammered.

"Are you sure it was wise, though?" Kasumi asked with an uncharacteristically harder edge in her voice as she kept her gaze on the courtyard.

She shrugged. "They are going to have to talk at some point. It might as well be now." She said as she admitted defeat and talked about it.

Kasumi looked at her then and fixed her with a watery stare that had a lot of pain behind it. "Just ... be careful that you know what you're doing. Let him know that you care, don't play games with him. Don't let him slip away..." Kasumi said softly.

She knew her older sister was talking about Doctor Tofu. "You know, Doctor Tofu is here ... why don't you try to talk to him?" She suggested.

Kasumi smiled a small, one might say bitter, smile. Silence stretched between them for a handful of moments. Finally, Kasumi responded as she turned to head back to the kitchen. "What makes you think I haven't been?" Her older sister said sadly as she walked back to the kitchen. "Dinner will be ready in a few minutes."

She stared dumbfounded after Kasumi for a moment, before she shook her head and wandered towards the dining room. The delicious smells from the kitchen were wafting on warm air from the kitchen into the hallway and mixing with the cool air from outside. It was an invigorating tease on her senses. She found herself getting eager to be at the dinner table and enjoying Kasumi's food.

However, before she made it to the dining room, she found Doctor Tofu sitting in the entry way just staring at the front door. The expression on his face snapped her out of her reverie. He looked exhausted and pensive at the same time.

"Waiting for someone?" She asked softly.

He looked up at her and smiled. "Not particularly. Just thinking."

"You can sleep tonight, so can Daddy and Ranma's Dad. The Amazons have called a truce for the next two days. It'll end the morning after tomorrow morning." She said happily.

He nodded. "I thought Shampoo's Elder might do something like that. It's good news, though. I could use a break. We should probably stay on guard though, just in case." He said calmly.

She shrugged. She knew Ranma was going to protect her, even if he had to sleep outside her door, or over her window on the roof to do it. She'd try to stop him, but she knew she wouldn't be able to. She smiled despite herself. Even though she didn't want him suffering for her, she couldn't help feeling flattered and special from his loyalty and devotion. He was a throwback to a different time, when a lot more men behaved like he did. She knew he behaved the way he did, because his dad had trained him to be that way, and the only reason his dad had done so, was because of the promise made to his mom. So, in every way that counted, she had Ranma's mom to thank for how wonderful he could be.

"I'm not worried about it." Was all she said to Doctor Tofu.

He smiled at her. "I'm sure you're not, especially with Ranma following you around everywhere." He said kindly. "I'll talk to your dad about what he wants us to do with regard to guarding the house tonight, just in case." He added.

She nodded as she sat down next to him. They sat in companionable silence for a little while. She shot glances at him occasionally as she tried to read him. As per usual, she couldn't read him. It was odd, sometimes when she was around Doctor Tofu, but he didn't know she was there, sometimes she felt like she almost could read him. He definitely let his shields down when he thought he was alone. But, as soon as he knew she or one of sisters was around, he slammed his shields into place quickly. She wondered why he was always so guarded? Was it just around them, or did he just have his shields up whenever he was around people?

She looked over at him, and weirdly felt something in herself straining. Doctor Tofu had always been there for them, since she was a little girl. She had known him when Mom was alive. And, after Mom had died, Doctor Tofu had suddenly been around a _lot._ For the first few weeks after Mom had died, during the worst of those dark times, he had been there every single day. She was sure of that. Oddly though, she couldn't remember any details from that time. She had a vague sense of that time period, but most of that time was oddly empty in her mind. It was like she had a photograph of that time in her mind, but no video. She had the essence without the substance.

Thinking of those old memories jarred her memory of more recent events into the front of her mind. She tapped her fist into her palm and smiled as she turned to him to ask about Akane's behavior from earlier in the day.

"Doctor Tofu, have you ever blanked out when fighting?"

"What do you mean?" He asked kindly as he smiled and turned to her, and gave her his full attention.

"Ranma had to hold Akane back today, to keep her from hitting an opponent after she'd won."

He frowned at that. "How so?"

"Well, Ranma could probably explain it much better than I can, but from what I saw, when Akane ran to help me when I was attacked today, she lost ... herself. She was fighting on instinct I think. Even after she'd won the fight, she kept fighting. I don't know what she would have done, if Ranma hadn't stopped her." She said quietly.

"But Ranma was in control?" He asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, Ranma was his usual self. Akane was gone, though. I could see in her eyes that she wasn't there. I don't know where she went, but she was checked out. It almost seemed like her body was on autopilot." She said as she tried to explain something that she had experienced mostly as a series of emotions, and filtered through her own very strong emotions she'd been experiencing at the time.

He nodded. "What you are describing is not ... uncommon. It isn't common either. But it isn't anything to be particularly worried about, I don't think. I will talk to Akane about it though, and see if I can help her understand it a little better, so she can maybe stay in better control the next time she is feeling like that." He said with quiet confidence.

"So, what was it?" She asked, curious.

"There isn't really an official name for it. Martial Artists, Soldiers, Police Officers, Paramedics, and others who regularly experience adrenaline and intense, high pressure situations that spike stress levels and push the body to the limits, all can sometimes experience what you are describing. My own Master refers to it as _whiting out_." He said quietly.

"Wait ... you have a Master?" She asked, wide eyed.

"Of course I do, a very good one." He said with a smile.

She didn't know why, but it had never occurred to her that Doctor Tofu would have his own Master. In some ways, that kind of ruined the perception she had of him. In other ways, though, it made her feel better about him. It was creepy how good he was at so much stuff. She was happy that there were at least some things that even the mighty Doctor Tofu needed help with.

"Well ... why does your Master call it that?" She asked as she dragged her mind back to the topic at hand.

"I don't know why it is called that. I don't even know if my Master is the one who named it that. But, what you were describing sounds like a _white out_ to me."

"Not a _black out_?" She asked.

"No, when one blacks out, one tends to lose consciousness. Not always, but usually. A _white out_ is different. You will still be in full control of your body, you won't lose consciousness, but the part of your mind that controls your higher order functions, such as reasoning and inhibitions will be suppressed under the strong emotions causing the _white out_."

"Strong emotions?" She asked, confused.

He nodded. "Yes, _white outs_ are usually triggered by an intense amount of fear or anger coupled with adrenaline. It has to be one of the primal instinct emotions that will trigger the fight-or-flight instinct, and it has to cause an adrenaline dump, and all of it has to be _strong_. The run of the mill bouts of anger or fear from a fight or something similar won't do it. The person in question has to feel like if they don't act, something terrible will happen, or they have to be reliving past trauma. Soldiers who have been in combat can sometimes _white out_ under the right conditions, so can victims of past traumas of a more mundane nature. The conditions are different for every person, but if they happen, then a _white out_ could be triggered." He finished calmly.

"Is it ... dangerous?" She asked, worried.

"Well, yes and no. The physical aspects of the condition aren't dangerous to the person experiencing them, if that is what you mean. But a person under the influence of a _white out_ has lost their capacity to reason and they are acting on instinct and training. Whatever their trigger was, will need to be dealt with, before they will come out of it on their own. If they don't come out of it on their own, then only being knocked unconscious will stop them, or being allowed to lose consciousness on their own, if that is a possibility. A person who is _whited out_ won't have any regard for their own safety, either. I have heard about it happening to people like Fire Fighters who go charging into a burning building to save just one more person, and they end up dying as well. In that respect, it is very dangerous. When humans are operating on their base and primal instincts, they can accomplish incredible things, but they can also be a danger to themselves and others." He said quietly.

"Akane was ... protecting me ... when it happened." She whispered. "Would that be enough?" She asked.

He looked at her without the usual mirth on his face, and nodded.

She didn't know what to say to that, so she just sat and thought silently for a few moments. He resumed looking at the door absently. Since she was already sitting and talking with him, she decided to see if she could plant some of the seeds needed to get him to resolve whatever issues he and Kasumi had.

"Doctor Tofu..." She hesitated, she wanted to help, but at the same time she wanted to leave it alone. She felt that, based on Kasumi's behavior, the topic she was about to touch on, was sensitive, to say the least.

"Yes, Nabiki?" He said, without looking back at her. He had resumed using his cheerful voice, though.

"You ... you like Kasumi, don't you?" She asked carefully. Kasumi wouldn't thank her for driving him further away, she needed to be very delicate with this.

"Of course I do, I like all of you." He said warmly.

"No, I mean really like her... you know?"

"Nabiki ..." He said in a tone that could either be a warning, or sadness.

"If you like her, why aren't you with her? Did something happen between you two?"

He popped up to his feet and his glasses shimmered as he assumed the absurd poise he usually used in his act around Kasumi. "I'd love to keep talking, Nabiki. But I need to get the fish out of the bookcase before the mailman gets here." He stuttered with a goofy smile on his face.

She stared at him open mouthed, in shock.

"Talk to you later, Nabiki, keep in touch!" He said cheerfully as he wandered out of the room while randomly staring at the walls and talking to houseplants.

She had always assumed his act was because of shyness. He had only ever done it around Kasumi, whom everyone knew he was attracted to. It had never occurred to her that his act might be a defense. Could it be that he did the goofy act whenever he didn't want to think or talk about his past with Kasumi?

 _If he's defending himself against me now, just for bringing it up ..._ what the hell _happened_ between them? She thought in consternation as she watched him leave with her jaw hanging open in shock.

With a sigh, she got up and made her way into the dining room. It didn't surprise her that Doctor Tofu wasn't there. He had probably slipped away somewhere to reset as soon as he had been out of her sight.

She wandered past the patio doors on her way to sit at the table. The doors were only partially closed, and she realized she could hear a voice on the other side of the doors. It was Ranma's voice.

"—it was nice, Akane. I did have fun ... our dat—"

She stepped closer to the door to listen. She knew she shouldn't, but she couldn't help herself. This was an opportunity to find out how serious he was about Akane.

She could tell that Akane was talking to him, but her sister's voice was too quiet for her to hear. Ranma's was just loud enough for her to hear most of what he was saying.

"Yes ... we're goin' out a little later this week." Ranma said.

"—t about us?" She heard Akane say, a little louder.

"What —bout us? All —v'r done ... fight." Ranma said softly.

There was a pause then. She seriously considered backing away from the door at that point, in case they were walking towards the dining room. Then she head Akane again.

"—e don't have ... fight ... —ould ...—rt over..."

"Akane..." Ranma said seriously. She couldn't hear Akane's response, but he continued a moment later.

"—just us, not ... Dads anym— ... —can't say ... forced us—"

"Okay." She heard Akane say weakly.

"—you sayin'... —ave feelins' for—" Ranma asked.

"N-no ... —ust wanted..." Akane stammered.

"What? ... —o back ... —ay things were?" He asked in a neutral voice.

"Y-yes." Akane said in a longing voice.

"—on't know if ... can—" He said.

"...—aying? Would you ... —tay with Nabiki?" Akane said in a small voice.

"I ... —on't know." Ranma said in an equally small voice.

"Ranma?" Akane said urgently.

There was another pause, she couldn't hear his response. She didn't care if she got caught anymore, she had to hear the rest.

"—ou have feeli—... me?" Akane asked in a shaking voice.

Despite the fact that Akane might very well be in the process of taking him from her, she silently applauded her little sister. _Damned if she didn't do **exactly** what I told her to do._ She thought with a mixture of pride and dread.

"—asked ... —irst." Ranma replied in a voice that was both happy and tired at the same time.

"Can't you—" Akane started to say.

She didn't hear the rest of what they said, because she heard footsteps coming into the dining room. She had heard enough to know that she at least still had a fighting chance. She hurried away from the doors and made her way to her usual spot at the table.

Kasumi entered the room a moment later and busied herself setting plates and utensils on the table. They both smiled strained smiles at each other but didn't say anything over the clink of the utensils being laid out.

The doors to the patio slid open a moment later, and Ranma entered the room first and took a seat next to her. Akane followed him a few moments later. Her little sister looked both happy, and sad. Akane sat down across from him at the table.

Daddy did not join them for dinner, neither did Ranma's dad. Doctor Tofu did enter the room a little while after Akane had, and he sat at the opposite end of the table from Daddy's spot, leaving Daddy's spot open.

She looked at him, and he smiled at her in his usual way, but he in no way acknowledged the awkwardness between them from earlier. She also noticed that he was doing all he could to not interact with Kasumi. It seemed that as his contact with Kasumi increased over time, he went from doing his act whenever she was around, to only when he had to interact with her. She _really_ felt that she needed to talk to Kasumi about what had happened, if for no other reason that to satisfy her curiosity.

A few moments later everyone was seated and eating. Ranma was still sneaking glances at her. She noticed that Akane was sneaking glances at Ranma as well. Ranma did a good job of hiding it, but she caught him at least once looking in Akane's direction as well. She felt a coldness building up inside herself, but she ignored it. The dragon inside her was snorting nervously and trying to get her to do something more aggressive to take him back. She ignored it.

She had promised not to interfere, and she was going to do her best to keep that promise. If Ranma went back to Akane, then she would just have to find a way to live with that. The dragon inside her rolled its eyes at her. She sighed and continued to eat. It helped that Kasumi's food was so good. There was nothing like a home-cooked hot meal, it was one of the greatest things on Earth.

When they had all finished and thanked Kasumi for the meal, Doctor Tofu surprised her by clearing his throat and drawing attention to himself. He smiled at all of them gently.

"As I am sure you know, your father finished repairing the walls for the bedrooms today. Your father asked me to tell Nabiki and Akane that they are free to sleep in their own rooms again tonight." He announced softly.

She had known in the back of her mind that it was coming, but it still stung to hear it. She didn't know how she had managed to get so attached to sleeping with Ranma in such a short amount of time, but she had. It felt really ... bad ... to think of going to sleep alone in her bed, by herself in her room ... alone.

She looked over at him and found him looking at her as well. She couldn't read his expression, though. He could be feeling sad or relieved not to be burdened with her any more. He—

"Additionally..." Doctor Tofu interrupted her thoughts. "Additionally ... your father asked me to remind Ranma that he is still responsible for guarding Nabiki during the night, as her fiancé." Doctor Tofu's tone made it clear that he didn't approve of the order he was relaying from Daddy.

Her center immediately warmed with happiness. Ranma was going to sleep with her, in her room! She wouldn't be alone after—

Akane interrupted her thoughts as she looked up sharply at Doctor Tofu and shook her head rapidly. "No ... no! That's not right!" Akane protested as she slapped the table in frustration. Her little sister's hair had come out from behind her ears and was splashed across her face in disarray. She could almost feel how distressed Akane was. On a certain level, she could sympathize with Akane. She would be just as upset if Ranma was being ordered to sleep in Akane's room.

Ranma looked at her and seemed to shrink into himself. He was deliberately hunching himself over and trying to get as small as possible. She smiled at him. She knew that he didn't want to hurt Akane or herself, and so he would just try to avoid the issue entirely. As for herself, she put on her best impassive mask, and just waited and watched.

Akane was doing her best to stare Doctor Tofu down, as he was the de facto authority figure in the house with both Daddy and Ranma's dad out of action. Doctor Tofu just shrugged and accepted Akane's hard stare impassively as he tried to calm her down. "I am just telling you what your father asked me to tell you all. It ... is not my place ... to question his orders in his own home. I am not going to force anyone to do anything, though. You are all old enough to handle this yourselves. If you want to argue the orders, you will have to take it up with your father." 

"Maybe I will." Akane said as she stood up from the table.

"Akane ... please sit down." Kasumi said in a quiet voice. To an outsider, it would seem like a simple request from an older sister. In their family though, coming from Kasumi, a request like that was an irrefusable order.

Akane collapsed on shaky legs and meekly took her place back at the table.

As for herself, she watched her older sister warily with a raised eyebrow. Akane was still young enough to obey Kasumi like she would have obeyed Mom. For herself, she was more or less willing to go along with Kasumi heading their household as well, but when it came to her love life, she wasn't just going to blindly obey Kasumi just because her older sister had taken on the maternal role in their family in Mom's absence.

Doctor Tofu looked down at the table and, like Ranma, did his best to disappear from the conversation. She knew that he disapproved of the entire situation. She knew he would indeed say something against the idea of Ranma sleeping in any of their rooms, if they had been in his clinic. She smiled at that.

Kasumi looked around the table calmly, and finally rested her gaze on Ranma. Ranma flinched away from it. Kasumi pressed him anyway. "Ranma, what do you think should be done?"

 _Poor Ranma_. She thought as she watched him wilt under Kasumi's steady gaze. Putting him under the spotlight was a very direct way of solving the problem, but she knew Ranma wasn't ready to make a choice yet. He was more likely to run for it than to openly choose Akane or herself in front of the other right now.

"I ... um ... I..." He stammered.

Kasumi simply stared at him, and waited.

 _Sheesh, she's being pretty brutal with him_. She thought as she gathered herself to come to his defense. It wasn't fair for all of this to be put on him. She opened her mouth to speak, when he surprised her.

"I ... I think that Nabiki does need to be guarded at night." Ranma said softly.

Akane looked up at him with betrayal written all over her face. Kasumi smiled softly but didn't say anything. Doctor Tofu continued looking down at the table and pretending like he wasn't there. And she did her best to try to keep her happiness off of her face. She didn't dare look at Akane right now. She knew she wasn't doing the best job of hiding her happiness. He had chosen her! He'd chosen her in front of everyone, he—

"—but I don't have to guard her in her room. I can stand guard outside her door, or I can sit up on the roof and watch her room." He said in a slightly stronger voice.

 _Way to kill the party, Ranma._ She thought sourly to herself. She knew he was just doing his best to be diplomatic and to not hurt Akane, but it still ... distressed her ... to think of not sleeping with him again. She didn't know why she felt so strongly about it, but she did, and she couldn't help it.

"No Ranma, you're not sleeping on the roof. That's out of the question. You don't need to suffer just to do your duty." She said gently. "If you insist on being noble, the hallway will suffice." She said firmly. She wasn't going to stand for Ranma being made to suffer just to satisfy people's honor and frankly their own selfishness.

He looked over at her and flashed her a grateful smile before he turned to look back at Kasumi again, and shrugged. "I guess that will work." He said agreeably.

"And what about Akane?" Kasumi asked gently.

She looked at her older sister with wide eyes. What was Kasumi doing? Was she deliberately agitating the situation out of spite, or was she trying to push Ranma to a resolution of some sort?

"Doesn't Akane need to be guarded too?" Kasumi pressed.

"I can take care of you and Akane." Doctor Tofu spoke up without looking up. She could tell that he hated the whole situation. She was sure if he had his way, they would all camp out together in the dining room and he would just watch over all of them. That was probably the most logical way of handling the situation, but it wasn't the way she _wanted_ the situation handled. She knew it was selfish, but she didn't want to share Ranma with ... anyone. 

Doctor Tofu's offer of protection for Akane was an honorable way out for everyone. She sighed with relief. If Doctor Tofu was offering to protect Akane, then Akane no longer had much of a leg to stand on. She looked at Akane and waited.

"I ... I guess that ..." Akane struggled to say. She could tell Akane was desperately trying to figure out a way to force the situation to resolve in her favor.

"What if Akane slept in Nabiki's room with them?" Kasumi suggested softly.

She looked up sharply at Kasumi with an audible gasp as Akane did the same thing. Ranma had gone back to trying to be invisible.

"Wait a minute, let's not get—" She started to say.

"—Yes!" Akane cut her off as her little sister agreed to Kasumi's proposal enthusiastically.

She clamped her jaw shut in shock. She knew that Akane was doing her best to get him back, but she never would have expected Akane to agree to such an idea. She locked her eyes on Akane in open surprise, but Akane was staring determinedly at Ranma.

"Ranma, can you protect both of them?" Kasumi asked sweetly.

"I don't need him to protect me." Akane said indignantly.

"Then why do you—" She started to ask.

"—you know why." Akane said in as agreeable a tone as she was sure her little sister could pull off at the moment. Akane was fighting for him, hard.

"Ranma?" Kasumi pressed him as she and Akane locked eyes and tried to stare each other down.

She didn't want to get into a fight with Akane, but she wasn't willing to back down over Ranma, either. It was clear that Akane was gearing up to play for keeps. She sighed inside, she really had herself to blame for the whole thing, at least partially. She broke the staring contest first and refocused on Ranma as he stammered and tried to answer Kasumi without openly picking either of them.

"I ... I, yeah, sure, Kasumi. I can protect 'em both." He said in as confident a tone as he could. She could tell he was extremely uncomfortable though.

"Akane, is that what you want?" Doctor Tofu spoke up quietly.

"I, um ... well ... I guess?" Akane said in a tone that struggled to match Doctor Tofu's calm tone.

Doctor Tofu looked up then, but he didn't look at herself or Akane, he looked at Kasumi. "Just make sure, that you know what you want, and you are being honest with yourself. Nobody is forcing you to do anything." He said quietly.

She gasped quietly as she realized what was going on. This was a battle. Kasumi and Doctor Tofu were using the situation as a proxy war for whatever had happened between them. She ... didn't approve of that ... at all, if it was true. She narrowed her eyes and alternated between staring at Kasumi and Doctor Tofu, but neither of them would meet her gaze.

Finally, Kasumi stood up in her usual serene way, and ended it. "All right, well then it's settled. If Akane wants to, she may sleep in Nabiki's room with Ranma and Nabiki. Otherwise, Akane will be protected during the night by Doctor Tofu. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have things to take care of." Kasumi glided out of the room before anyone could respond to that.

Doctor Tofu hopped up a moment later and started collecting dishes and utensils to bring to the kitchen. That left the three of them, alone in the dining room, sitting uncomfortably together.

She spoke up first and tried to resume control of the situation. "Ranma, meet me up in my room in a few minutes?" She asked in a tense voice. He nodded without looking up.

"I'll see you in a few minutes too, Ranma, save space on the floor for me, all right?" Akane spoke up as well. Her little sister wasn't backing down. Ranma again nodded mutely.

All three of them stood up and stood awkwardly together for another handful of moments, before Ranma finally turned around and started walking slowly towards the stairs. He never looked up once. She really, really wanted to get him alone before Akane joined them in the room so she darted after him without saying anything to Akane.

By the time she rounded the corner though, he was already gone. _Damn, that boy can move fast when he wants to_. She thought in mild irritation coupled with amusement as she stood on the cold wooden floor in her bare feet and tried to decide what to do next. He was probably hiding, so hunting for him wouldn't do much good. The best she could do would be to go wait in her room and hope she could get at least a small talk in with him alone. She really wanted to know how he was feeling.

With a sigh, she trudged up the stairs and quickly took care of her nighttime ablutions in the bathroom before she hopped across the hall and into her room. She then quickly changed into her pajamas and sat on her bed and waited.

She didn't have to wait long. There was a small knock on her door a moment later as the door opened. It was Ranma. She smiled at him as invitingly as she could, and waved him inside. He nodded and his head ducked out of the door then her door opened wide as he entered carrying his futon set from the guest room.

She popped up from the bed and moved quickly to shut the door behind him as he busied himself setting up his bed on her floor. She noted that he had chosen to set his bed next to her bed. That made her happy.

She leaned her back on her door and waited for him to finish. When he did, he sat on top of his futon and looked up at her with slightly panicked eyes. She knew he had to be uncomfortable about this.

"Ranma are you—" She started to ask, then three sharp raps on her door signaled the arrival of most likely Akane.

She reached behind herself and locked her door. A moment later the handle jiggled and she sighed.

She tried again quickly. "Ranma, are you sure you're—"

"—Nabiki? Your door's locked." Akane said from the other side of the door in a voice that was trying to be innocent, but was clearly accusatory. She sighed and unlocked the door and stepped away from it as Ranma looked down at his bed. She moved back to her bed and sat on it before she called out to Akane.

"It's open now, sorry." She said in a voice she tried to keep even, but she knew had some anger seeping into it.

Her door opened slowly, and Akane entered her room with her eyes on the floor. Her little sister knew she didn't belong there.

She wasn't proud of it, but she was glad Akane felt that way. She knew it wasn't fair, but she thought of Ranma as hers now. Especially at night. There was something about the darkness that did something to people. They wanted to be close to their loved ones. They wanted to be held. They wanted to whisper to their partners in the darkness ... preferably without their little sisters in the room.

She sighed and tried to be nice. "Would you like the bed, Akane?"

Akane shook her head and pointed out the door. "No, I brought the other futon set from the guest room. I'll just set it up ... next to Ranma's." Akane said quietly but determinedly. She could see that Akane was blushing.

It would have been funny to her that Akane had pushed for this situation to happen in the first place, considering her little sister's issues with boys in general, and Ranma in specific, especially in a sleeping situation. But it wasn't funny now that it was happening.

Ranma just sat on his bed and didn't look at either of them. She really wished that she could have gotten him alone for a little while to talk. But she hadn't been able to make it happen. So, she had no idea how he felt about the situation he now found himself in. She knew from what she had overheard of his talk with Akane, that he wasn't over Akane. And she knew from her experiences with him the last few days, that he had feelings for her as well. He had to be feeling, at the very least, a little trapped.

Some guys would be _ecstatic_ to be in the situation Ranma was in. Sleeping in the same room alone with two girls who were interested in him, with no parental supervision? They'd be tripping over themselves to sign-up. Of course, the very fact that a guy would be drooling over a situation like that, was precisely why most girls would never agree to such a situation.

Ranma was ... different. Part of it was that he was shy, but another part was that she knew that he genuinely didn't want to hurt her or her sister. It was because of that, that she was willing to have him sleep with her alone, and she was willing to share the room with him with Akane present, instead of making him sleep on the roof or outside her door to guard her. She wanted him nearby. She felt that if she didn't keep him as close to her as possible, that somehow he was going to slip away from her. She was determined to not let that happen ... even to Akane.

She eyed her little sister without any mirth, as Akane setup her bedding next to his. At least Akane had enough restraint to keep from laying out her bedding right next to his. Akane had included a little walkway between them of about half a meter. Ranma's bedding was already laid out on the ground next to her bed, with a tiny walkway between his futon and her bed. She was sure he had set it up that way in case either of them needed to get up during the night.

"Well, shall we get to sleep?" Akane asked quietly once she was done setting up her bedding. It was clear that the reality of what Akane had thrown herself into, wasn't as ideal as what her little sister had probably been imagining at the dinner table. Akane seemed very uncomfortable. She couldn't help but think that it served Akane right, she was uncomfortable too because of it.

Ranma nodded, still without looking up. She nodded as well. "Hit the lights?" She asked Akane, who was the only one still standing. Akane locked eyes with her for a moment, then nodded. She hadn't been able to read Akane's expression very well, but Akane had seemed ... peaceful. She had to admit that made her feel a bit nervous.

Akane shut off the lights, and the room plunged into darkness. While she was still light-blind, she heard the rustling of both Ranma and Akane settling into their bedding. She continued to sit on her bed. Once her eyes had adjusted to the darkness with the little bit of light coming in from the window, she eyed the two of them and sighed.

Ranma was laying perfectly straight on top of his bed. He was clearly trying to not provoke either one of them. Akane was buried in her bedding, and had her head turned so her eyes were looking away from both of them and towards the door. She could smell Akane's perfume. It wasn't an unpleasant scent, and it was barely there, but to her, it was a sign of an invasion. She frowned as she warred with herself over her desire for Ranma against her distaste for Akane suffering. She was in uncharted waters and didn't really know which way to go next.

She sighed and spent a minute trying to get Ranma to look at her, mostly by staring at him and willing him to look at her. Sometimes that worked, especially on people like Ranma. But he either wouldn't look at her, or didn't realize she was trying to get his attention. So, she eventually gave up and laid back down on her bed and sighed again. She wasn't _that_ used to sleeping with him, so she was sure she would get used to his absence next to her as quickly as she had gotten used to his presence.

"Goodnight, Ranma." She said sweetly. She didn't say anything to Akane. Ranma mumbled something that sounded like _'night_.

There were a couple of moments of silence after that, then Akane spoke up. "Goodnight, big sister. Night, Ranma." Akane said in her own sweet voice. Ranma again replied with a mumbled reply. He was either very sleepy and already drifting off, or he was deliberately being vague to avoid getting into anything while sandwiched between them.

 _Smart boy_. She thought with a smile to herself in the dark. It hadn't escaped her notice that Akane had said goodnight to her as well, and that her little sister had listed her first. In some ways it made her look bad, but she didn't care right now. She was still irritated that she didn't get to sleep with Ranma alone tonight. She wasn't sure why she felt so possessive of him, and why she was feeling the emotions she was feeling so strongly, but she couldn't help it. It was like the events that had been set into motion the last few days had let something loose inside her. Every passing day seemed to make those feelings grow stronger. Already she was feeling terrible laying alone on her bed without him. Her body was fine, but emotionally she _needed_ him to be with her. She had no rational explanation for it. Logically, it didn't make sense.

She lay on top of the blankets on her bed, not moving, for a long while. Eventually, she got under the blankets and curled up into a ball. The bed under her was soft and warm with smooth, clean sheets. Her blanket was heavy and warm and slightly rougher than her sheets. Normally she loved being in her bed. But right now, she didn't feel right. She felt off, not just off her center, but unbalanced, like a critical part of her was missing. She felt his absence very keenly. She wanted him in bed with her. She thought very seriously about just reaching down and grabbing him and pulling him up to her. But she knew without a doubt that Akane would notice that, and there would be ... an incident.

She sighed and grabbed her pillow from behind her head and clutched it to her chest. It was a poor substitute for him, but it was all she had. It didn't help that she could hear him breathing in her room, and she could smell his usual flowery-cedar smell, albeit from a distance. She could feel herself drifting off to sleep. She knew it wouldn't be a restful sleep.

  


***

  


She woke up with a sudden sharp and cold feeling that something was wrong. It was still nighttime. She reached out for Ranma but there was nobody in bed with her. She felt cold inside, empty. The pillow she had been holding earlier was still in her arms, clutched there tightly. Her body was warm and wrapped in her own blanket in her own bed, but it wasn't the same as having him with her. Nothing would be. She opened her eyes partially and there he was.

He was standing near the window at the foot of her bed, with his hands clasped behind his back, like a sentry. Just like he had tried to do the first night they had spent together. He had turned his shoulder from the window and was looking over it at her. She immediately felt better just seeing him. She darted a quick glance over at Akane, and saw only her sister's back. Akane was rolled onto her side and seemed to be asleep. She looked back at him and almost whimpered out loud.

She _ached_ to have him hold her. She knew he couldn't with Akane in the room but, _oh God_ , she wanted him to anyway! He raised his eyebrows at her in a silent question, so she waved him over. He nodded and stepped silently over to her bedside.

As soon as he reached the side of her bed, she reached her hand out of the blanket for his. He took her hand gently in his warm and somewhat rougher hands. She pulled him down so he was leaning right over her. His breath was warm on her neck. It sent shivers up and down her spine to feel it.

"What's wrong?" He whispered softly with his lips right next to her ear, so softly even she could barely hear it.

"Lonely." She whispered back, just as softly.

He didn't say anything to that. He did reach his other hand up gently and stroke her hair though. His touch made her arch her back with happiness, and she sighed contentedly as she closed her eyes.

"... Akane ..." he said nervously.

"I know." She whispered with only a touch of disappointment in her voice. She then pulled harder on his other hand until he was basically laying on her. She could feel him straining with his arm muscles to keep his full weight off her though.

"What're you—" He whispered urgently.

"Miss you." She replied in her own urgent whisper. She didn't know why she was being so aggressive, she just knew that she wanted him to be with her. She couldn't help it, she was addicted to being held now.

He shook his head gently as he pushed himself off her slowly. She was sure he was trying to avoid making noise as much as he was trying not to hurt her. "I ... um ... Akane..." He whispered.

She sighed and nodded. Then she pulled on him again insistently. She wasn't strong enough to force him to fall back down towards her if he didn't want to, but after a moment he relented and leaned his head back down towards her. As soon as he was close enough she whispered to him. "Sleep. Don't stand guard all night. I seriously doubt the Amazons will break the truce, and even if they do, Doctor Tofu is watching the house, and it isn't like Akane and I would be silent if we were being attacked."

"Yeah, but—" He started to protest.

"Sleep. You can't protect us as well during the day if you are exhausted from standing guard all night." She insisted. She knew invoking what he thought of as his duty would get him to comply, even though she thought of it as him doing them a favor, and not his duty.

"Okay, I'll sleep." He said grudgingly.

"Promise me, Ranma. Swear on your honor that you'll actually sleep, all night, and not just for an hour or something." She insisted.

"How did you know I—" He started to say with an incredulous tone.

"You forget who you're speaking to, Saotome." She said with a smirk she knew he couldn't see. "Now, promise me." She insisted.

"I ... all right, Nabiki, I promise, I swear." He said in a resigned tone.

The urge to kiss him rose up in her so strongly that she had to bite her lip to keep herself from acting on it. His scent was swimming around her strong enough that she could taste it, and the heat of his body was seeping into her. She wanted him so badly she could barely stand it. She could feel him pause as well as he struggled with whatever was going on in his head. After a tense few seconds he finally straightened up again and looked down at her with eyes that spoke of his own longing. He stepped back from her slowly.

She let one of her hands slide off his, but her hand closest to him she held on tightly with. He smiled at her and sank slowly down into his bed. She had his left hand clutched tightly in her right hand. She scooted over to the edge of her bed so she could keep her grip on his hand as he lay all the way down.

He rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb and squeezed her hand reassuringly as he settled down to sleep. He kept his grip on her hand as well. She smiled and started to drift off to sleep as well. She was okay. Ranma was holding her.


	31. We Should Catch Up

Nabiki woke up slowly the next morning with the cool nighttime air still filling her nose, and the sunlight streaming in from her window gently. She was warm in her bed, but she still immediately felt the absence of Ranma in bed next to her once she was awake. It was amazing how used to him being next to her, and wrapped around her, she had grown in the short amount of time they'd had together. Her hand was still hanging off the bed from holding hands with him last night. He wasn't holding her hand any more. She opened her eyes partially and looked towards the window to find him. She expected to find him standing there again, standing watch over them, despite his promise to sleep.

He wasn't in front of the window. That surprised her a little bit, but she was glad. She shifted her gaze down to the floor and stiffened as a cold fist grabbed her heart and squeezed. Ranma was laying in his bed as she had asked him to ... and Akane was wrapped around him, sleeping soundly. Ranma wasn't holding Akane, but he did have his arm around her.

He was fully in his bedroll, while Akane was completely out of hers. Her little sister's silky hair was cascading around his neck and shoulder as she rested her head on the upper part of his chest. Akane had her right arm thrown over his chest, and the other was tucked under his neck. Her right leg was wrapped around his legs, and her left leg was pressed right up against him. Akane was sleeping soundly, and breathing evenly and softly, with a large smile on her face. Ranma ... seemed to just be sleeping. He had his left arm up over his head and his right arm was under Akane's shoulders.

 _I want to find this amusing, and wait for her to wake up and react, but I can't. It isn't funny ... at all_. She thought as she tried to control the urge to scream or throw something, or to do both. She hadn't just lost hold of him during the night, Akane had taken what she'd lost. He was slipping away from her literally and figuratively. She couldn't help but feel betrayed. Logically, she seriously doubted he had gone over to Akane in the night, picked her up while she was sleeping, and draped her on himself.

She knew that Akane had to have done it either consciously or unconsciously. It frankly didn't matter. What mattered was he was slipping away. She knew that getting into a knock-down, drag-out fight with Akane over him wouldn't accomplish anything though. That, and Akane would wipe the floor with her. So she controlled her anger impulses. That was the one thing she could bring to the table that the rest of the girls couldn't — maturity.

She knew damn well she wasn't _that_ much more mature than the rest of them. But, she was just mature _enough_ to be able to arrest the emotional response she _wanted_ to use in a situation like she now found herself in. So, instead of reacting emotionally, she decided to apply logic and reason to try to achieve her goals. Ukyo, Shampoo, Kodachi, and even Akane had been fighting each other over him for a long time now. It hadn't swayed him into making a choice, at least not openly. However, her own efforts with him had already produced some small results, and those efforts had been based on being honest with him, and applying her brain to the problem.

She rolled back flat on her bed and forced herself to regulate her breathing. She needed to get her emotions fully under control before she could act logically. Her heart was hammering in her chest. She was angry, very angry. _Ranma is mine, he's mine, he's mine!_ She ranted to herself. The heat of her anger was surprising, even to her. She was already regretting the advice she had given to Akane. She clenched her fists at her sides and flexed every muscle in her body that she could, while she sucked air in through clenched teeth. She seriously thought about tapping into her Ki like Ranma had re-trained her to do, and venting with her battle aura. But she didn't.

She knew that anger was an appropriate reaction to seeing him in the arms of another woman, even if that woman was her own sister. But she also knew that acting on that anger would only drive him further away, or worse, put her into the same bickering camp as the rest of the girls. Since she had already decided that she wasn't willing to stay in that camp, that would mean she would lose him forever.

She eventually relaxed her muscles as the urge to scream receded. It was still there, right at the surface, but she felt she could control it better now.

 _Think, girl, think! What do I do?_ She forced herself to start applying logic to the situation. She knew if she confronted Akane about it, there would be a fight, and Ranma would duck out of the way. Likewise, if she confronted Ranma about it, he would get defensive and probably flee. Akane was likely to jump in on that as well, and there might still be a fight.

She knew that Ranma wouldn't want to be caught in the position he was in with Akane, either by herself, or the rest of the family. He was still doing his best to avoid openly choosing between her and Akane, and to avoid conflict. She latched onto that idea, and came up with a plan.

She settled back into her bed, and spent a few more full minutes calming her breathing down, and doing her best to slow her heart rate and other visible signs of her anger, and also of being awake. Once she was reasonably sure she had reduced the worst of it, she arrayed herself in a sleeping position on her bed, and grabbed one of the small stuffed animals she still had on her bed from when she had been a little girl.

She raised the toy up over her head, and tossed it as hard as she could at the window. It had the desired affect of smacking the window with enough force to make it sound like _something_ had hit the window.

She quickly lowered her hand and assumed her full sleeping pose and closed her eyes almost all the way. She was rewarded an instant later with a startled sound from the floor in Ranma's voice. She heard a very gentle rustling sound and then Ranma popped to his feet in her peripheral vision off to her right side.

He was in a fighting stance. He crept closer to the window and looked out of it, then he pressed his face to the glass and looked down and up and to either side as best he could. She watched him through her eyelashes as she maintained the fiction of being asleep. He finally looked down at the ground and then he looked over at her with a confused look on his face.

 _My, he **is** a smart boy, isn't he?_ She thought in a sudden panic, as she worried that he was going to call her out for her ploy. Instead he bent down and then stood up again with the stuffed animal in his hand. He looked over at her again with a suspicious gaze, then shrugged and reached over and put the toy on the shelf of her bookcase.

She would have breathed a large sigh of relief, but she was still pretending to be asleep. She watched him through her eyelashes and wondered what to do next. He seemed to be sitting at the same crossroads. She saw him look down at the ground, then over at her, and then back out of the window multiple times. He finally settled back into the same sentry position he had been in last night, and stared out the window with his hands clasped loosely behind his back.

She smiled to herself. Of all of the options available to him, including climbing back into bed with Akane, or with herself, he had chosen the noblest option of standing guard over them. He could have simply left to go get breakfast, or he could have woken them up. But instead, he chose to let them sleep and to watch over them. He really was very special.

She chose to simply ignore Akane's efforts with him, and how they made her feel, and to focus on her own efforts. She didn't want to risk getting into a fight with Akane, or pushing him away. Akane was fighting for him, that was fine ... she would just have to fight that much harder than Akane.

She waited another few minutes, and continued to act like she was asleep, as she watched him through her eyelashes. He didn't move during that time, except for the slow in and out motion of his chest as he breathed.

When she felt she had waited long enough to maintain her plausible deniability with regard to the window, she started to go through the motions of _waking up._ She closed her eyes for real and counted down from ten. When she finished counting, she breathed in deeply, then stretched languidly. She followed that up with a yawn, then cracked her eyes open. As expected, Ranma was looking at her. She smiled at him as warmly as she knew how to.

He smiled back, but in a somewhat more guarded way. She wondered if he still suspected her of making the noise with the window, or if he felt guilty because he'd woken up with Akane cuddling him, or if he simply didn't want to risk smiling warmly at her with Akane in the room.

There was another reason he might have been holding back, and it involved him being annoyed at her for interrupting his time with Akane. She pushed those thoughts out of her head immediately, though. She didn't dare pick at those threads for fear of unraveling the whole careful tapestry she'd woven up to now.

Instead, she held her arms out to him and hoped fiercely he would still come to her. He briefly looked down at the floor, and she followed his gaze. Akane was still asleep, or at least, appeared to be asleep. Her little sister wasn't back in her own bed. Instead, Akane was laying in the space between the two beds, and covered with a blanket as well.

She had no idea if Ranma had moved her and covered her when he'd gotten up, or Akane had done it herself after he'd gotten up. She also didn't care.

She looked back at him at about the same time he lifted his gaze up as well, and smiled again as she continued to hold her arms out for him. He met her eyes and smiled back, a little more warmly than the last time. He nodded and made his way carefully over to her. Inside, she was squealing with happiness. If he would still come to her, then she still had a chance.

He reached the side of her bed, and as soon as he was in range, she lunged out and grabbed him around the waist and pulled him down to her. In the state of mind she was in, she not only didn't care if Akane saw them, she hoped Akane _did_ see them together.

Ranma cushioned his fall so he barely made any noise and didn't actually land on her. Instead he ended up just leaning over her at an acute angle. He smiled nervously at her as she held on to him. He was warm, he was always warm. She absolutely loved that.

As soon as he was close enough to her that she could smell him, she started to lose control. She breathed him in deeply, one might even say greedily, as she slipped her hands from his waist to his arms. She leaned back as she did so, and slid her hands down to his. Then she pulled his hands behind her and scooped them on to her hips before she reached back up and buried her own hands under his shirt, to rest on the strong muscles of his back.

The part of her that was still the professional Ice Queen was staring at her with its mouth hanging open. She was about three moves away from starting something with him she was sure he wasn't ready for. She knew she wasn't ready for that either, and she certainly wouldn't do that with Akane in the room, regardless. What was _wrong_ with her?

He was staring into her eyes with very wide eyes of his own. He was frozen in place and hardly breathing. It was clear he would stroke out soon if she didn't calm down.

She smiled at him and whispered to him softly. "Morning, Ranma."

He looked at her, still in shock, and managed a weak smile back to her, before he replied. "Morning ... Nabiki ... I didn't stay up all night, I swear." He whispered.

 _ **That** is what he is worried about?_ She thought incredulously as she squinted at him is disbelief. _He's worried about **that** tiny promise over everything else?_ She looked up at him in exasperation. Then she smiled and decided to tease him.

"What if I don't believe you? What should be your punishment?" She asked in a low, growly whisper while she clawed playfully on his back.

His eyes opened about as wide as they could go. He tried to look over at Akane in worry, but she held on to him firmly. He smiled at her nervously as he blushed and stammered a defense. "I-It's true, I slept, like I promised. You can feel my bed, it should still be warm, I only got up a few minutes ago."

_I bet it **is** _still warm, especially from two people being on it._ She groused to herself as she smiled at him before she replied. "It's okay, Ranma, I believe you."_

He smiled nervously at her and, after a moment, moved his hands on her hips. She had placed his hands on her hips so that they were outside her clothing, but wrapped behind her so that she was laying on his palms. She thought for a moment that he might actually be trying to make a move with her, then sighed when his hand shuffling resulted in nothing more than him freeing his hands.

She could still feel the heat of him on her hips. She licked her lips with desire but obliged him and mirrored his motions by removing her hands from his back. As she slid back, she grabbed his hands and held him again.

His hands were softer than one might think they would be, on his palms anyway. His knuckles and the rest of his hands were rough, hard and calloused. But his palms were mostly soft. They weren't as soft as hers were, but they weren't like a man's who worked with tools all day, either. It made sense in a way, he was very physical, but most of what he did with his hands involved a closed fist.

She smiled at him and breathed him in again. She knew she was being extremely aggressive, but she didn't care. She hadn't been able to cuddle with him last night, and Akane had. That annoyed her, greatly.

He simply looked at her and waited for her to say what was on her mind. She thought about what she wanted to say for a moment, then grinned a feral grin that would make Riko proud, and whispered to him.

"Before we go to school today, we need to make a plan."

He nodded at her.

"I think we should consider talking to Ukyo today."

He nodded again, a little more slowly.

"And tonight..."

He looked at her.

"...for sleeping arrangements..."

His eyes got wider.

"...I don't care how you do it..."

He started to purse his lips nervously.

"...but I want you to sleep with me tonight ... alone." She whispered to him fiercely. She didn't ask him to promise, because it wasn't something he could promise. She was just telling him what she wanted, and being honest with him, as she had promised.

He stared at her like a spooked rabbit for a few heartbeats, then nodded hesitantly. It wasn't a nod of agreement, she could tell. It was a nod that showed that he understood her. She inhaled deeply one last time, then sighed and let go of him. He stood up nervously and immediately turned his head to check on Akane.

She lazily turned her head to check as well. She wasn't in quite the same devil-may-care mood that she had been in before she talked to him, but she still wasn't all that worried about Akane. She was still feeling flashes of irrational anger and hadn't calmed all the way down.

Her eyes found Akane almost exactly where she had been before she'd pulled Ranma down too talk. Akane seemed to still be asleep, however ... her little sister wasn't in _quite_ the same position she had been in before. Akane's hair was tucked back behind her neck now, and her head was now angled more towards the bed. Akane's hands weren't also in the _exact_ same positions.

It was entirely possible Akane had just shifted in her sleep. It was also possible Akane wasn't asleep at all, and had been holding herself up on her hands and craning her neck to watch them. Either way, what was done was done. If Akane knew and had chosen to feign sleep to avoid a fight, then fine, that just made things easier. If Akane really was asleep, that was fine too, and made things even easier.

Ranma stood up straight and put his hand behind his head in embarrassment. He walked a few paces away from her bed, then froze when Kasumi's voice sounded from the hallway with a knock on the door.

"Breakfast will be ready in ten minutes." Kasumi called out in a sing-song voice that faded away.

Kasumi almost never roused people for breakfast. It was surely no coincidence that her older sister was doing so now with the three of them in her room.

She looked over at Akane and found her little sister had her eyes open now. Akane was looking up and smiling at Ranma. Ranma was doing his best to look at neither of them. She sighed and sat up in her bed. The spell of the morning was broken.

"Good morning, Ranma." Akane said softly. "Good morning, Nabiki." Akane added a moment later, without looking at her.

She sighed and played nice. "Morning, Akane. Did you sleep well?"

"Mmmm, I don't know, I guess I slept all right. Haven't slept in a futon in a long time. They're ... cozy." Akane said with a small smile directed at Ranma. He steadfastly refused to look at either of them, and was busy examining the books in her bookcase.

She didn't say anything to that either. She knew if she headed down that road, she would end up in a fight with Akane, and that wouldn't help her get what she wanted.

Akane stood up a moment later and stretched before she spoke again. "Is it all right if I leave the futon where it is, Nabiki? For tonight?"

She frowned at that. Now she _had_ to say something. "Actually, I would appreciate it if the futons were put away for the day, I may want to use the floor space for something after school." She said as nicely as she could. She didn't look at Ranma while she said it. She and Akane both knew she was setting the stage for a showdown over sleeping arrangements for tonight. But as long as she didn't outright admit that it was to fight over him, then Akane really couldn't object without appearing childish.

Akane smiled an insincere smile at her and replied in a sweet voice. "Of course. I will come back up and put it away as soon as I can, before I leave for school. All right?"

She nodded at that. She would be the one who appeared childish if she wasn't willing to accommodate small conditions like Akane had asked for. With the major issue resolved, both she and Akane just simply stared at each other. Neither one of them seemed to want to make the first move to leave. She knew she certainly didn't, and Akane probably didn't want to either, for the same reason. She was hoping Akane would leave first and give her some time alone with him. And she was willing to bet Akane was hoping to delay long enough so he would leave with her to get dressed, and Akane could steal some time alone with him.

Ranma finally broke the stalemate by speaking up hesitantly in a small voice. "I...I'm gonna go get dressed for breakfast." He still wasn't looking at either of them, he now had his gaze fixed solidly at the door.

She sighed. She had nothing she could use to object to him leaving, so all she could do was smile at him. Akane grinned and walked quickly towards the door.

"Me too." Her little sister chirped happily as she reached for the door and opened it. Ranma nodded and walked quickly to the door. He kept his eyes on the floor as he moved.

She was getting fairly frustrated with his shy and timid act around them. She wanted to just have it out with him and Akane, ask him for a decision, and be done with it. She was also terrified to do that and end up with the answer that would break her heart. So, instead, she just watched him go and smiled faintly after him as he followed Akane out of her room and shut the door behind himself.

She just had to hope that if she kept working at it, she could help him get strong enough, and mature enough, to be able to make the decision, and to face the consequences of it without running away. If she pushed too hard, he would break and run. If she didn't push hard enough, he wouldn't think of her as a serious contender. It was a very delicate position to be in, which was actually fairly amusing considering how indelicate he was in almost every other way.

She sighed and stood up from her bed and walked over to her window and looked out of it. It was a beautiful day. It was a new day. As with every new day, it was full of possibility and the promise of something better. She filled herself with the will to push forward as she watched the rays of the sun peaking out over the housetops to illuminate the world in its warmth and light.

She smiled and quickly set herself to the task of dressing for the day. She then hurried to the bathroom and took care of her morning routine before she made her way to the dining room for breakfast. Ranma was already seated at the table and eating. Akane wasn't. She took her usual place near him, and smiled at him. He looked up and smiled at her as well before he resumed eating.

She began eating her own breakfast and finished just a bit after he did. Akane still hadn't joined them at the table. She jumped on the opportunity to get him alone. She stood up and looked down at him and put on a cheerful face. "Ranma, can we go back to my room and plan for today?" She asked in a tone she tried to keep breezy.

He nodded and stood up to follow her. They passed Akane on their way back towards the stairs. She had to fight to keep herself from showing any sign of her self-satisfaction on her face. Akane played it cool as well and simply watched them walk by without saying a word. Her little sister looked very nice. It was clear Akane had put more effort into her looks than she usually did. She could smell Akane's perfume strongly now. She was sure Ranma could as well.

She had thought about dressing up nicely again as well, but had decided against it. Ranma had seen her across her entire spectrum, from sick and gross to dressed up and pretty. He had never seen her fancily dressed up, but he would for their date. In the meantime she didn't want to waste time with careful hair styles and makeup. She wanted to spend that time with him instead.

They entered her room, and she was pleased to notice that Akane had already returned and put away her futon. She closed and locked the door behind her as she followed him in to the room. Ranma seemed to notice Akane's missing futon as well, and stooped down to pick his up too. She put a hand on his arm and stopped him.

"You don't need to put yours away, Ranma." She said with a wink.

He blinked up at her, nodded, and stood back up. He had dropped his shy and timid act. He wasn't being flirty with her or anything, but he was at least meeting her eyes again. She grabbed his hand and led him over to her bed. She sat him down and sat down next to him. She sat close enough so she could continue to hold his hand, but not so close as to make him nervous. She wanted him to think, and she had noticed that his mind worked much better when she wasn't being too aggressive. She found herself wishing she had put on at least a little makeup, or some perfume at least. She could still smell Akane's lingering scent on both of them. She wanted her own scent to be lingering on him, not Akane's.

He looked at her expectantly. She knew he was waiting for her to take the lead. She decided to wait him out and force him to take the lead. She needed to help him work on his confidence with women, and her in particular. She smiled gently at him, and waited. After more moments than was comfortable, he finally said something.

"Um ... didn't you want to talk?"

"I sure did." She said with a smile.

"Um ... well ... why aren't we..."

"I want to know what you think." She said simply.

"About what?"

She thought about being flippant, or teasing him, but she decided to keep him focused where she wanted him focused, and to reward him for taking the lead with confidence in him. "About what we should do today."

"Oh ... well, since we have the truce goin' on, we can just go to school like we always do. And I think you're right, we should try to talk to Ukyo today. And ... I ... I dunno, that's about it I guess." He said sheepishly. It was clear that outside of coming up with a battle plan for a fight, he wasn't used to tactical planning. She tried to push him just a little bit more to see if he could latch on to the basic idea.

"And _how_ should we talk to Ukyo? Did you want to try to catch her before school? During school? After school? If after school, where? Should we invite her somewhere? Go see her at her shop? What?" She asked gently.

"Um, well ... Ucchan goes to school from the opposite direction from us, so finding her before school would be hard. And durin' school, I already said I'd eat lunch with you 'n your friends today, so we can't do it then. So, I guess it will have ta be after school." He said.

"Okay, where?" She said as she tried not to show how happy she was that he was actively thinking of spending time with her at lunch.

"I guess ... at her shop? If we invite her somewhere, she's gonna think it's a date, or a trap. If we go see her at her shop, then at least she won't get the wrong idea." He said with a bit more confidence.

 _Atta boy, Ranma_. She thought with some pride. He had arrived at the same conclusion she had as well. It had taken him a bit of prompting and a bit more time, but he'd gotten there. And he got the boost to his confidence of it now being at least partially his plan.

She smiled at him. "Sounds good to me. I do have a plan for her once we get there. We can get into that after school." She said happily.

He nodded and looked towards the door, then back at her. "So ... should we get going?" He asked.

She could tell he was worried Akane would come back and find the door locked. She was almost tempted to try to keep him in her room with her until exactly that did happen, but she knew that wouldn't earn her any points with him. So, she sighed and nodded.

He smiled and bounded to his feet, but surprised her by continuing to hold her hand. Her heart rate quickened at that. It wasn't much of a statement on his part, but it was something. It was his way of showing his attachment to her. Or, at least, it was his way of showing that he liked her.

He led the way to her door, and she let him. It was good for him to take the lead occasionally. He continued to hold her hand out into the hall, down the stairs, and out the door. He hadn't even stopped when they had grabbed their book bags by the door.

She followed behind him almost in a daze. She was watching the back of his head and happily holding his hand and feeling the sun on her face and the wind in her hair, and generally loving life. She was having a hard time understanding why she was so upset last night, and so angry this morning. Everything was fine, Ranma obviously had feelings for her, and he was doing his best to show them to her. She never saw him walking around holding hands with Ukyo, Kodachi, or Shampoo after all. Hell, he barely did anything like that with Akane either. He settled into an easy gait next to her and they walked side-by-side in a comfortable silence to school.

They reached the school grounds before she even realized it. It was amazing how time passed when one wasn't focused on its passing. Ranma walked with her calmly at her side, and continued to hold her hand. She could hear several students calling out appreciative comments, cat-calls, and even some condemnations of him spurning Akane for an older woman.

She ignored all of it. He shot little glances her way occasionally. He was playing the same game he had been playing yesterday on the way to see Shampoo's grandmother. She smiled softly at that and began batting her eyelashes at him whenever she caught him looking. He was clearly more comfortable playing little games like he was doing now, than with heavy heart-to-heart talks. That was all right. While she would prefer to have those heavy talks with him, she was nothing if not flexible. Affection was affection, no matter the form it took.

She smiled and mentally ran through her plan for Ukyo as they walked towards the building their classrooms were in. As with Shampoo, her plan for dealing with Ukyo was simple and easy. Unlike Shampoo, it required resources, considerable resources. She had already called in the favors to make it happen, lots of favors. She didn't care though. If her plan worked, Ukyo would bow out of the contest for him, and that would mean one less person in the circus to be—

"Ran-chan, hi!" She heard an enthusiastic female voice behind them say.

 _Well, speak of the devil_. She thought to herself as Ranma looked over his shoulder, smiled, and stopped. She kept her hand in his. She was happy to notice that he made no move to hide that he was holding her hand. She didn't mind him speaking to Ukyo, but the visual reminder that he was attached to her would be good to get across to Ukyo.

Ukyo stepped close to him and smiled. She noticed that Ukyo's eyes darted to their hands, but the young chef made no mention of it. Instead Ukyo looped her hands around his neck and pulled him towards her, almost as if to kiss him. She stiffened at that. Would Ukyo really be so brazen as to— 

"How have you been, silly? You haven't stopped by for an after-school snack in a while now." Ukyo said breezily.

She could see some small muscles in his neck straining. She smiled at that. Whatever Ukyo had been planning, Ranma had stopped it. Ukyo ignored it, though and charged onward.

"You should stop by today after school, we should catch up."

Ranma nodded. He was actually managing to play it very cool. She couldn't see any sign of guilt or any or any acknowledgment that he had planned on doing exactly that anyway. For her part, she kept her eyes on him, and didn't look at Ukyo. Ukyo would expect her to have eyes only for him anyway, so it worked well, and she didn't have to act that way.

"Sure, Ucchan, sure, but ... um..." He paused and looked at her.

Ukyo sighed and nodded. "Yeah, you can bring Nabiki. I don't care." Ukyo said in the false-sweet voice that she was pretty sure every female on Earth could produce.

"We'd love to, Ukyo. You are the very best Okonomiyaki chef in town, after all." She said sincerely. She wasn't even acting. She had never had a better Okonomiyaki than the ones Ukyo made.

Ukyo smiled tightly at her, then ran her hands from Ranma's neck to caress his cheeks as she stepped back away from him and smiled. Then before either of them could say anything else, Ukyo bounded away with a wave.

"See you after school then! I'll make you something special, Ranma-honey!"

Ranma waved after her, then looked over at her and grimaced. "Sorry about that." He said in a sincere voice.

She smiled at him. "It's no big deal, Ranma. They've been chasing after you for a long time. This is going to take time." She said calmly.

He seemed relieved that she wasn't upset. Inside, she actually was fairly annoyed at both Ukyo, and the situation. She certainly understood how Akane could be moved to the point of smacking someone after enduring it for months on end. But she could certainly endure it stoically for a week and not show how annoyed it made her.

They walked hand-in-hand together to his class without further incident. She lingered with him in front of his class. She had peeked inside, and Akane hadn't arrived yet. That made it easier to leave him the way she wanted. She leaned into him and slid her arms around his silky shirt and pulled him into a hug. She heard quite a few of his classmates hoot and holler about it, but she didn't care. She knew he cared, but she needed him to be strong and mature enough to not care either.

She let his warmth sink into her for a little while. He held her loosely at first. She could tell he was embarrassed. She wanted him to pick her up. She didn't know why, but it mattered a lot to her that he picked her up. She squeezed him more tightly and buried her head into his chest. After a few more moments he squeezed back and stopped holding her so loosely. She squeezed even tighter and held her breath. He responded and flexed his arms and picked her up and held her.

She was almost giddy with happiness. She knew it embarrassed him, but it meant the world to her right now that he was willing to hold her anyway, even in front of his classmates. She would stay in his arms as long as he was willing to hold her. That turned out to only be a few moments more, then he set her down again. But that was okay. It had been enough. She could feel herself deflating as a lot of the worry that had been accumulating inside her fled as he held her.

She slumped up against him and breathed in his flowery-cedar scent. She would have to ask him some day if it was a cologne, or something about his clothes or soap, or if he just smelled that way. After a few more moments, he stepped back away from her and held her loosely again with his hands around her waist.

She looped her hands around his neck and pulled him down insistently towards her. Unlike Ukyo, he didn't resist her. His eyes widened as she pulled him towards her, she was sure he thought she might be pulling him in for a kiss. But, instead, she pulled his head to the side of hers and rested her cheek against his.

"Thank you." She whispered to him.

"For what?" He whispered back.

"For being brave." She said with a small smile. She knew that would confuse him, but she was okay with that. She stepped away from him then and let her hands fall loosely from his neck. He mirrored her motions, as he always did, and released her as well.

They smiled at each other as he waved and stepped backwards into his classroom. She sighed and turned around and walked towards her classroom as well.

When she reached her own class she found Riko and Yui standing across the hall from the door, giggling and joking while drinking their morning coffee, like they always did. Unlike the vast majority of the last few days, she actually did feel like playing with them again. So she went to join them.

Riko looked her up and down and grinned ear to ear. "Oh my, look at you."

"What?" She asked, suddenly self-conscious.

"Oh, Nabi-chan, you little minx, you." Yui said happily as she set her coffee down in the window sill before she hid her mouth behind her hands in a mime of embarrassment.

"I ... what?" She asked, as she started to get embarrassed. She ran her hands around her body searching for a button that was open on her blouse or a part of her dress tucked into her underwear or something equally embarrassing.

"So ... you and Ranma..." Riko said in a leading tone of voice.

She clued in then. Riko was implying that she and Ranma had _really_ gotten to know each other. She shook her head rapidly as she felt the heat of a blush rise up her neck and spread to flush her cheeks.

Riko looked at her with a knowing glint in her eyes and a smirk on her face as she nodded sarcastically. "Suuure, nothing going on at all, huh? Then why are you glowing?"

"I am not." She said in a happy tone.

"Normally I wouldn't agree with Riko, just on general principal." Yui said, to which Riko stuck her tongue out at. "But I have to admit, Nabi-chan, you're glowing."

"I am not." She protested with a smile.

"Fine, Kiki, don't tell us, we'll just pry it out of Ranma. That'll be more fun anyway." Riko said with a mischievous smile as she took a sip of her coffee with a wink. Then Riko reached a hand out for her as she set her coffee down as well.

She let Riko take her hand and pull her in between the two of them. Yui immediately draped over her left side and started playing with her hair. Yui smelled like lychee accented rose perfume today. Riko kept her close but stared into her eyes instead. She stared back blankly with a half smile on her face.

"Just tell me this." Riko said softly as she held her gaze. "Is he gentle with you?"

She blushed and nodded. "It isn't like that, but yes, he's very gentle." She said sincerely.

Riko's eyes shimmered for her. "I'm so happy for you, Kiki. He could be the one we've always talked about, you know?"

"I think I do know." She whispered, then repeated herself happily. "I think I do."


	32. She Thinks That The Favors Matter

Nabiki sat through class and did her best to pay attention. It was hard, but she tried. She was starting to feel like her old self again. Things weren't back to normal, at all. But, a lot of the chaos and turmoil that had kicked off when Ranma saved her from the collapsing balcony, were starting to settle down. She was starting to pick up a rhythm with him. She didn't have everything figured out yet, but she was starting to get enough control over the situation again that she didn't feel quite so off-center and out of control any more.

She knew that things weren't fully resolved with any of the girls in the circus following Ranma. And with Akane now actively fighting for him, it was only going to get worse. But, he was holding her hand, and picking her up in front of his classmates, and doing what he could to show her that he cared. Or, if he wasn't showing that he cared, he was at least showing that he wasn't indifferent.

She was learning how to be with him in his world, and it wasn't as bad as it sometimes looked. And he was making great strides to understand her world. They could do this, they could make their connection blossom into a full relationship. All it would require would be patience and effort — well, that, and getting rid of the circus following him.

She sighed at that thought and was then startled out of her reverie a moment later by the ringing of the lunch bell. She looked down at her notes and found that she had trailed off about an hour ago during Math. Oh well, she was paying better attention now that she had been since everything started. Once everything was settled, she would be able to fully resume the proper attention to her studies. Riko and Yui stopped at her desk and grinned at her as she stood up.

"Nanami and Chihiro will be joining us today." Riko said with an impish smile.

"That's great, I love it when they can do that." She said happily.

"Do you think Ranma will actually come back for another round?" Yui asked softly. She knew Yui was both kidding, and asking a real question. It wasn't uncommon for the guys in their lives to not be able to keep up with them and to fade away once that was realized.

She smiled at both of them. "Ranma hasn't broken a promise to me yet, I don't see why he would start today with something as small as spending time with me at lunch. I am going to go get him now." She said confidently. Inside, her doubts and fears swam up to the surface and made her dread finding him missing from his classroom, and having to go back to her friends and tell them that she had been wrong. But she ignored it.

She had faith in Ranma. He was a lot of things, and some of those things weren't the best things. But he didn't betray people or break promises. That was the rock she had built her faith in him on. If that rock ever broke, she didn't think she would be able to continue a relationship with him.

She could tell her friends were reading her thoughts on her face, and both of them we sending her encouraging signals from their own facial expressions. Riko even grabbed her hand and held it supportively. They really were the best friends she could ever ask for. She smiled at them and stepped towards the door.

"I will see you two at the usual spot, just as soon as I get Ranma. Okay?" She said as she walked towards the door.

They nodded, and Yui made an _OK_ sign with her hand and winked. "We'll save you a seat!"

She nodded and then stepped through the door and was out of their eyesight. As soon as she was, she sagged a bit and let her nervousness show a little. She clasped her hands together and tucked them under her chin as she walked towards his classroom. She was doing her best to ignore the fear and doubt inside of her that was roiling to the surface. She would be terribly embarrassed if she had to go back to her friends and report that Ranma had ditched—

"Nabiki, hi!" Ranma said from the hallway outside his classroom. He was standing next to the door waiting for her. Akane was nowhere to be seen.

She let out the breath she hadn't known she had been holding, and smiled at him. "Hello Ranma. Ready to go have lunch with me and my friends again?"

"Sure." He said with an easy smile as he settled in to walk beside her. She did her best to keep her professional mask in place as they walked the halls together. It wouldn't do for the general school population to get the idea that she had gone soft. But inside ... inside she was melting.

 _He kept his promise. He waited for me. He cares, he cares, he cares!_ She thought happily to herself. It was a small thing, but it _mattered_ to her. She found that she was now the one who was sneaking glances at him as they walked. 

They exited the building and began to make their way towards the special spot she and her friends ate lunch at. The air smelled like whatever blossoms were blooming in the trees at the moment, and she could hear the happy voices of the students floating on the wind as they called to each other while they played games, talked, and did all of the other normal things high school students did.

She walked next to Ranma and tried very hard not to grin foolishly. She was so happy that Ranma was willing to hang out with her and her friends and to be seen in public with her. She knew he had his own friends he liked to spend time with. She knew he didn't understand, but she liked being able to show him off to her friends, and to allow her friends to get used to him and to tease him and test him.

As they approached the tree that she and her friends had claimed as their exclusive area, she could see that Riko and Yui were already there. Both of the girls' heads perked up when they saw her coming with Ranma in tow. Riko smiled predatorily. Nabiki knew that Riko really enjoyed teasing guys in general, especially shy ones. It would be good for Ranma to be around someone who was aggressive like Riko, but in a safe environment where everyone knew it was all just friendly play.

"Ranma! You came back!" Riko exclaimed while beaming happily at him while she kicked her feet under the bench like a little kid.

"Wow, I'm impressed, not a lot of people can do a repeat with Riko." Yui added cheerfully.

"Hey! Feelings! I have them!" Riko said in mock indignation.

"That's very true, Riko can be ... a little too enthusiastic." She piled on with a smile.

"Ranma! That's not true, is it?" Riko asked in a silly voice that was supposed to sound desperate. 

"Um ..." Ranma stammered with his hand behind his head in embarrassment.

Riko leaped to her feet and clenched her hands under her chin in a classic pleading pose. "Say it isn't so, Ranma!" Before he could respond, Riko ran and jumped into his arms and clutched at him. Ranma caught her, but was just off balance enough that he ended up sitting down heavily with her ending up in his lap as a small _oof_ escaped his lips.

"Case in point." She said with a smile.

"Exactly what I'm talking about." Yui added.

"Oh shush, you two are just too timid, that's your problem." Riko said as she stuck her tongue out at them while she snuggled up to Ranma.

"Um..." Ranma said, clearly uncomfortable.

Riko faced him and nuzzled him as she wiggled in his arms. " _You_ ... are much more comfortable ... than Kenta _ever_ was." Riko cooed.

"He's also not yours." She said with a frown and a raised eyebrow.

"I'll fight you for him." Riko growled while fixing her with a challenging stare.

She opened her mouth to respond, but Ranma beat her to it. "You'd lose." Ranma said quietly, but confidently. Everyone looked at him in surprise.

He continued quietly. "Nabiki's tougher than she looks. She's had trainin', and she was good at it, I can tell. Any student of the Anything Goes Martial Arts style can beat any untrained opponent, even if they've only had one lesson." He declared.

She could feel herself blushing. Why was he calling out her martial arts skills?

"Ooh, is that true Nabi?" Yui asked in an excited voice.

"Are you a super-secret ninja badass? How could you keep that from me?! _I have so many people I need you to punch!_ " Riko asked in an excited yell.

She patted her hands down towards the ground in a calming gesture. "Now now ladies, let's not get excited." She tried to deflect while she shot Ranma a warning glace. But he either didn't notice it, or chose to ignore it.

"Don't be so modest, Nabiki. I bet you could even handle Kuno." He proclaimed while he simultaneously tried to lift Riko off of himself, to no avail. Riko wasn't moving.

 _I wonder why he isn't bringing up Kodachi?_ She thought in confusion before she answered him in a way she hoped to use to put an end to the topic. "I do handle Kuno, easily." She said with a frown.

"No, I mean handle Kuno like I handle him." Ranma said with conviction.

"Oh, eww, Ranma, no, not you and Kuno? You can do better." Riko chirped happily as she picked up on the double entendre.

She sighed with relief. She was glad the conversation was moving away from a discussion of her martial prowess. The _last_ thing she needed was a reputation spreading that she was a fighter. Not until she had actually gotten her training back on track anyway.

"Oh god, I hope not?" Yui asked as she covered her mouth in disgust.

"Pray with me, Yui." Riko said happily as she started doing mock Shinto prayers. Yui joined her gleefully.

"Say it isn't so, Ranma!" She piled on, happy to play with Ranma again.

Ranma frowned at all of them. "That's not what I meant!" Ranma protested in an embarrassed tone.

"It's okay Ranma!" Riko said as she hugged him enthusiastically. "This is a safe space, we still love you! Say what's in your heart!"

"Yeah, if you want Kuno, I'm sure Nabi can hook you up with him." Yui said with a huge grin as she tried to contain her laughter.

Ranma glared at all of them. "None of you are as funny as you think you are." He groused as Yui and Riko started laughing uncontrollably.

"Oh, well, Ranma, I mean, come on, that just simply isn't true." She added as she let herself laugh as well. It was a lot of fun to play with him. Now they just needed to work on him having fun as well.

Riko and Yui were still laughing. Riko was laughing so hard she was leaning back in Ranma's lap with her hands around his neck and shaking him as she giggled.

"Observe the evidence." She said as she pointed to her giggling friends.

"It's Riko's fault, she corrupted us." Yui managed to say as she regained control.

Riko shook her head vigorously as she sat up and brought her giggling under control as well. "That's true, I absolutely did."

"And I had nothing to do with it." She added with a smile.

Riko nodded her head happily. "No, nothing at all."

"Oh, you're not doing _that_ again, are you?" Yui asked in disgust.

"Me? Never." Riko answered with an emphatic nod of her head.

Ranma blinked at Riko in confusion.

"She likes to sometimes try to get people to copy her to shake their head for yes, and nod for no. She considers it counter-culture warfare." She explained for Ranma's benefit.

"And the problem is, sometimes it works, and I look like an idiot!" Yui growled.

"Well now, that could never be true." Riko said with a large, exaggerated nod.

"I hate you." Yui said with scowl as she reached up and physically held on to her own head, presumably to prevent herself from unconsciously copying Riko. Riko grinned widely at that.

"No you don't." Riko said with a wink and a nod.

"Just you wait, I'll get you doing something some day." Yui said with a shaken fist to the sky.

Riko shook her head sadly. "Fool girl, you don't have the willpower to best me."

Yui craned her head around then smiled. "Nevermind that, here comes Nanami and Chihiro!"

"Oh, excellent!" Riko said as she hopped up from Ranma's lap and looked down at him chastisingly. "Now, no more pawing at me in front of Nanami, she _is_ my girlfriend after all." Riko said in a scolding tone as she wagged a finger at him.

Ranma looked back at her with wide eyes. "R-really?" He whispered.

She shook her head then winked at him. Riko and Nanami weren't actually going out, but they were very good friends, and frequently liked to get ... cuddly with each other. Not all that usual in Tokyo, but not unusual, either. She figured she would just let him observe and understand on his own.

Two more girls arrived then. One was a little bit taller than herself, with her hair dyed blond. She had a thin and wispy build and an easy-going smile on her face, and she almost always had a camera on a strap around her wrist. The other was a bit shorter than herself, with hair dyed red, a medium build and a slightly larger than normal bust. The red-head usually wore her hair in wild styles. Today the style was actually fairly tame, it was some sort of a layered flair to one side.

The red-head was affecting a very shy pose and was keeping her eyes on the ground. Nabiki knew both of them were wearing masks. Both of them were as outgoing and aggressive as Yui and Riko. They both just tended to play their cards close when meeting new people. She wasn't quite as good friends with them as she was with Riko and Yui, but along with Riko and Yui, the four of them were her very best friends.

She did the introductions. "Ranma, meet Chihiro." She said as she nodded towards the blond. "And Nanami." She said as she nodded to the red-head.

Riko squealed with delight. "My Crimson Goddess!"

"My love!" Nanami answered in an equally enthusiastic voice as Riko dove into Nanami's arms and they sat down to cuddle together very ... enthusiastically. She actually blinked in surprise as she watched them, they were more in to it today than they usually were. It probably helped that they had a new audience to confuse.

Ranma looked over at her again with a confused expression on his face. She winked at him again in reply. He dragged his gaze back to Riko and Nanami in obvious confusion. Riko would be delighted.

"So what are we up to today?" Chihiro asked the group as she sat down next to Yui and ignored the antics of the other two.

"Oh, Ranma was just telling us how much he burns with the passion that dare not speak its name for his Kuno-Sempai." Riko announced happily in a muffled tone from under Nanami.

"What?! No!" Ranma yelped.

Chihiro eyed him up and down and frowned. "It'll never work. You aren't short, you don't have cropped hair, and you aren't a feisty athletic sort. You're more of a mellow athletic sort. Of course ... he does like red-heads, as you well know. Maybe if you dye your hair?" She suggested.

Ranma scowled. "Did Nabiki put you up to this?" He asked suspiciously.

"I swear, Ranma, this is just how they are." She said as she laughed and held her hand over her heart to swear her innocence.

Ranma frowned at her then stuck his tongue out at her before he returned his attention to Chihiro. "Well, nice to meet you. How do you know Nabiki?" He asked.

Chihiro got up from the bench and walked over to sit down in front of him and looked at him seriously. "What do you think, girls, is he worthy of the truth?" She called out over her shoulder.

Riko got up and walked over and grasped his chin in her hands and pulled his eyes up to stare into them seriously, and held his gaze for a few moments before she stepped back.

Nanami went and sat next to Chihiro and stared at him quietly without comment.

Yui walked over to him and cupped the back of his neck with her hand as she brought his nose to hers and stared deeply into his eyes without blinking for a long moment before she too backed up and sat next to Chihiro and Nanami.

Yui and Riko leaned together and whispered intensely to each other for a moment, then nodded their heads and leaned in to whisper to Nanami, who listened to them and shrugged.

Ranma sought out her eyes and looked at her with worry etched on his face. She was sure he was panicking that he had gotten in way too deep for something that had seemed to be a safe question to him. Unfortunately for him, with her best friends, no question was safe, if they didn't feel like treating it as safe. She smiled at him reassuringly, but didn't say anything.

Nanami put her hand on Chihiro's shoulder and pulled her back to whisper to her while Nanami nodded.

Yui met Chihiro's eyes and nodded as well.

Finally, Riko smiled, shook her head, and raised a fist to the sky. "He is worthy!" She proclaimed.

Chihiro nodded once and glared at him for a moment, then leaned forward and whispered to him. "I know her ... from our class. She sits next to me." She said in a very serious tone.

Nanami chimed in. "Me too!"

Ranma twitched and fell over on the grass.

She sat down on the bench and did her best to suppress her laughter. Ranma was the perfect straight-man.

Ranma pulled himself up and looked at Nabiki with a long suffering expression. She couldn't help it, she had to let it out. She lay down on the bench and dissolved into giggles.

"Ooh, she's open, get her!" She heard Riko say.

"Tickle attaaaaaaaack!" Chihiro yelled with a war-whoop before they converged on her and tickled her. She writhed on the bench in giggly glee. She lost sight of Ranma as all four of her friends tickled her.

Riko stopped first and held her hands out to stop the rest of them. "Wait wait wait, what are we doing? We should be tickling the interloper!" Riko declared sternly.

The girls nodded and turned around in eager stances, ready to pounce on him. But he wasn't there. They looked all around in confusion.

She laughed and pointed up into the tree. Ranma was standing over them looking down with a panicked expression on his face, safe in the tree.

"Oh, come on, no fair!" Riko protested in indignation.

"Come on, Ranma, play nice." She called up to him.

He nodded and darted into motion and was standing next to her a moment later. She had barely been able to follow his movement with her eyes, and that had only been because she had been expecting it.

"Well ... I mean ... sure, I could do that too, if I wanted to." Yui said in a tone that she could tell was envious.

"Get 'im!" Riko whooped gleefully as she charged at him.

Ranma responded by doing what he usually did when he wanted to play with someone who was attacking him that he considered to be no real threat. He dodged around Riko and the rest of the girls with his hands behind his back, flipped over them, and generally just floated away from them. He was smiling while he did it, though. She hoped he was actually having fun and not just smiling to be polite.

"Come back here!" Yui shouted as she chased him.

"You're only making it worse, Saotome!" Riko promised as she chased him back the other way.

Chihiro and Nanami were too busy trying to circle around him and trap him in a pincher movement to call out battle cries. It didn't work, though. He simply ducked and slid off to the side when they tried to trap him.

"Get 'im! For the glory of my Crimson Goddess, he must be caught!" Riko bellowed happily.

"You're wasting your time, if he doesn't want to be caught, he won't be. He's like a jackrabbit on steroids when he gets like that." She called out to them with a smile.

"Ooooh, is he like that at night too? Speaking from experience, Kiki-chan?" Riko asked happily as she gave up and came to sit at her feet. The rest of the girls gave up then as well, and came to sit back down. Ranma followed them at a distance and circled around behind the bench to stand behind her.

She smiled at him, and he smiled back nervously at her. She patted the bench next to her and held her arms open to invite him in. He nodded warily as he eyed the girls with suspicion before he sat down. As soon as he was sitting next to her she put her arm around him and held him for a moment before she slipped her hand up and tickled him.

He jumped up immediately and went back to standing behind the bench and out of reach of everyone. She grinned at him. He scowled at her. "That was a dirty trick." He grumped.

She shrugged. "I can't catch you. But there are more ways to tickle a jackrabbit than chasing after him." She said happily. "Take notes, ladies." She added with a smile to her friends. Yui actually nodded and whipped out a tiny notebook and scribbled something. She rolled her eyes at that.

"Speaking of jackrabbits, Ranma, fess up, you had something to do with our Kiki-chan's happy glow this morning, didn't you?" Riko called out to him.

She sighed and smiled softly. She knew Riko wouldn't have let it go, but it was still embarrassing. She could feel the heat of a blush creeping up her neck to her cheeks already.

"I, wait, what? Nabiki was glowing?" He asked, confused.

"Men, am I right? No attention to detail." Yui groused.

"I wouldn't know." Nanami said with a happy sigh as she twirled Riko's hair around her fingers. Riko looked back at her and blew a kiss.

"Ranma pays attention to a lot of details. Give him a break." She said as she came to his defense.

Ranma was darting his eyes around to all of them, clearly trying to figure out what they were talking about. She really didn't want him to clue all the way in, because she knew it would embarrass him ... possibly to the point of him running away.

"Come on, Ranma, spill it. You and our little Kiki-chan have become ... _special_ friends ... haven't you?" Riko pressed him.

"I ... um ... well..." He stuttered.

She opened her mouth to shut the conversation down, but he interrupted her.

"Of course Nabiki's special. I'm engaged to her after all." He said quietly. That got Riko's eyebrows to climb up almost off her forehead.

"Leave it alone, Riko. Ranma is special too, let's just leave it at that, all right?" She said with a hard stare in Riko's direction.

Riko sighed and nodded. "Fiiiiiiine. But I'm watching you, Saotome." Riko said with a stern frown in his direction. Ranma just looked at Riko blankly. She honestly couldn't tell if he was doing so to stare Riko down, or if he really was just completely clueless to what Riko was suggesting.

Yui, however, wasn't done with it yet. "Yeah, but what about at night? Is your little jackrabbit _special_ at night?" Yui asked as she stared at him with a goofy grin.

When Ranma didn't answer for a moment, Nanami chimed in. "Well, Saotome?"

"I barely know you!" He protested as he blushed.

Nanami blinked at that. What would you like to know?"

Ranma opened his mouth but clearly had no ready comeback for that sort of question.

"Come on Saotome, you're suppose to ask her something juicy!" Chihiro chided him.

"Suppose to!" She repeated gleefully to mock her. The rest of the girls laughed happily.

Chihiro's shoulder's slumped as she sighed. "EVERY time. Suppos- _ed_ to ... suppos- _ed_ to! You happy? Gramming is _hard_ okay?" She said with a pout.

She grinned at Chihiro and winked. She saw Ranma deflate a bit as the attention moved off of him. She waved him over and he looked at her suspiciously. She brought her hands up into a prayer pose then crossed her heart with her finger in a silent promise not to tickle him again. He nodded and came over to sit down next to her on the bench.

As he got in range, Riko and Yui both tensed to leap on him, but she waved them off. She'd promised. They made sad faces but backed up. She wrapped an arm around him and casually held him. She was very happy right now.

"Well Ranma, so now you have met all of my Chief Lieutenants. What do you think?" She asked.

"Nice to meet ya. What do you do for Nabiki?" He asked Nanami.

"You can think of us as the angels of light and dark. I'm light, she's dark." Nanami said as she pointed to herself and then Chihiro.

Ranma raised his eyebrows at that. "But ... that's not ..."

"We don't feel bound to follow your silly rules or logic, mortal. I can be an angel of darkness with light hair, and Nanami can be an angel of the light with dark hair." Chihiro said sternly.

"As for what we do for Nabiki, you haven't been in the club long enough yet. But stick around long enough, you'll find out." Nanami said with a wink.

Ranma nodded and sat back on the bench. She could tell he was out of questions for the moment. He seemed to want to fade out of sight next to her, and just observe.

"They can be pretty intense when they're all together. You're doing great, Ranma, hang in there." She whispered in his ear. He nodded in response.

"Hey, Riko, are you going to Megumi's party this weekend?" Chihiro asked.

"Oof, no. No more parties, they all suck." Riko said with disgust in her voice.

"But you're so funny when you're at them! Pleeeeease?" Yui pleaded.

"True story, last one you were at, you kept telling all the guys your name was, 'you wish'." Chihiro added with a smirk.

"That's because Nanami is my true love!" Riko announced as she turned around and leaned into Nanami's arms.

Nanami nodded vigorously to this and enthusiastically cuddled with her.

"Wait, what about Kenta?" Yui asked with a mischievous smile.

"MUST you keep reminding me about him?" Riko said with a frown.

"You did date him! We all saw it." Chihiro said sternly.

Riko sat up straighter in Nanami's lap and held her hand over her eyes theatrically as she responded in a swoon. "A moment of silence please for my reputation." After a moment had passed she pulled her hand down and stared at them earnestly. "Do any of you know what kind of soap washes out shame and bad decisions?" Riko asked in a remorseful tone.

"Nanami soap?" Chihiro suggested.

"Mmm, you know it." Nanami said as she licked her lips and pulled Riko in closer to her. "If I don't have carpet burns in the morning, Riko wasn't tryin' hard enough." Nanami said as she traced loving lines along Riko's jaw with her fingers.

Riko craned her head around to stare at Nanami with wide eyes. "Damn it, woman, secrets! Secrets!" Riko chastised.

"You were wonderful last night." Nanami said with a wink and a blown kiss.

Riko eyed Nanami suspiciously for a moment, then addressed everyone else. "WAIT, time out ... did I begin and finish last night with pants on?" Yui, Chihiro and herself all shrugged. "Come on girls, buddy system! Yui, watch her for me!" Riko ordered as she locked eyes with Yui. Yui nodded seriously and saluted.

"You can't contain me Yui, don't fight it, I am unstoppable." Nanami growled at Yui with a feral grin on her face.

"Well ... once you've had your morning coffee anyway." Riko chimed in.

Nanami glared at Riko for a moment before responding. "What kind of mutant gets up before the sun anyway? There's something _wrong_ with you."

"Hey, I had important boy stalking to take care of, back when I still thought Kenta was redeemable. And one must get up early to avoid the crowds. I was on a mission from God." Riko said as she smacked a fist into her palm righteously.

Yui grinned. "You might be unstoppable, Nanami, but Riko is a force of nature." Yui said with a wink.

"Damn straight, I'm amazed they haven't named an element after me yet." Riko said indignantly.

"Oh! The mind reels! What would they call it?" She chimed in.

Riko thought for a moment then framed the sky with her hands while she squinted to look through them like a director on a movie set. "I was thinking _Riko-Is-Awesomeium_."

"Not Nanami's-Cuddle-Bunny?" Nanami asked with a pout.

"Well, that will be the common name for it, of course." Riko said placatingly.

"Oh, you're so sweet! C'mere!" Nanami said as she pushed Riko off her lap and dove on her to kiss her playfully on the grass.

Ranma looked over at her with wide eyes again. She winked at him then went back to watching the silly antics of her friends.

"Come on Nanami, keep it in your pants, you're going to frighten the boy." Yui said in a disapproving tone.

Ranma scowled at Yui. He obviously didn't like being called a boy. She filed that information away for later. It was always good to know what to avoid when teasing someone.

Nanami popped up off Riko and sucked in an exaggerated deep breath like she was coming up for air from a deep sea dive, and made a show of making herself presentable. "Can't have that now." Nanami said with a wink.

"Hey! Some of us were BUSY!" Riko protested from the grass.

"You TOLD me to watch her for you! Remember, buddy system?" Yui protested right back.

Chihiro burst into laughter. "Hoist on your own petard, eh Riko?"

Riko scowled at Chihiro. "I have not yet begun to hoist." Then she turned her attention back to Yui and pointed her fingers to her eyes, then to Yui, then back to herself. "Focus, woman! Buddy system is for parties only, not lunchtime snuggles. Capisce?" Riko growled.

Yui nodded and saluted again. "Well then, carry on, by all means."

Riko nodded in satisfaction and turned back to Nanami and grinned impishly.

"But ... but I just made myself all pretty again." Nanami said in a prim, feminine voice.

"Fiiiiine, but later..." Riko trailed off suggestively as she pointed to herself then back to Nanami and winked.

Nanami nodded eagerly and blew kisses to Riko.

"Well ... now that we've all had our minds broken by ... whatever that was, and Yui, remind me to NEVER travel with those two, I have to say, Nabiki, your Ranma is quite a trooper. Kenta had already invented homework that was on fire to leave by this point when Riko brought him around." Chihiro said in approval.

"We only wanted to put makeup on him ... it would have washed off ... eventually." Riko said grumpily.

"There there, come to Nanami." Riko nodded in an exaggerated sad way and came over and sat gently in Nanami's lap and laid her head on her shoulder as she made fake sniffling noises. Nanami rubbed her back soothingly.

"Well, Ranma _does_ live with me, you know. He's kind of used to me." She said with a grin and a wink to Ranma.

"That true? You used to her? She getting boring already?" Chihiro asked him.

Ranma shook his head shyly without looking at her. She smiled at that.

"TALK!" Chihiro ordered as she reached over and poked him repeatedly in the chest with a twig.

"I ... it's just ... you all talk really fast ... I don't want to inter—" He started to say.

"Oh, we interrupt each other all the time, especially—" Riko chimed in and cut across him.

"True story, all the time!" Yui said with a gleeful smile as she cut Riko off. Riko scowled at her, which prompted Yui to stick her tongue out at her.

Ranma took it all in with his mouth still open and his eyes very wide.

Chihiro ignored the other girls and stayed focused on him. "C'mon, get it out." She encouraged him in a sweet, sing-song voice, like she was talking to a puppy.

Ranma scowled at that, but responded anyway. "No, I'm not sick of Nabiki." He said softly, again without looking at her. She could see a blush creeping up his neck. That made her incredibly happy.

"Aww, see, that's love for you." Yui said as she hugged her knees to her chest as stared at him dreamily. "He puts up with her friends, lives with her, and endures her family. That was the problem with Kenta, Riko. No endurance in that boy." Yui said.

"True ... but he was kind of cute." Riko said wistfully.

"Ranma's cuter." Yui said with a sigh.

She nodded happily. "He's also very strong, and he's smart too!"

"See, Riko, you just need to find someone good like that." Yui said soothingly.

Nanami cleared her throat loudly at that. "Um, excuse you? She _has_ someone _good_." Nanami said with a frown as she did air-quotes to emphasize the word _good_.

Yui grimaced and put her hand over her heart and blinked at Nanami. "Let me begin my three part apology by saying you are a wonderful human being."

" _Mmm hmm_ , see if I share candy with you at the movies next time we go." Nanami said as she stuck her tongue out at Yui.

"So, Nabiki, when are you two going out on your date?" Chihiro asked, again pulling the focus away from Riko's antics. Chihiro was good at that.

"Tomorrow after school." She said happily.

"And you're gonna treat her right, eh, Ranma?" Riko said as she squinted at him and shook her fist in his direction.

Ranma nodded coolly. "Of course."

"And you'll bring her home safely?" Nanami pressed him.

Ranma sat up straighter and set his jaw firmly. "I would never let anything happen to her." He said earnestly.

She smiled at him. It was very sweet how loyal he was.

"And you'll treat her right, and say sweet things to her, and give her a proper groping, right, boy?!" Riko piled on.

She scowled at that and jumped in before Ranma could get riled up. "Reign it in, Riko." She chided.

"What?" Riko blinked at her and flashed a beatific smile. "I'm just making innocent date suggestions." Riko protested.

She narrowed her eyes at Riko. "Kind of playing it fast and loose with the word innocent, aren'tcha?" She asked.

Riko grinned with an evil gleam in her eye. "Wouldn't _you_ like to know." Riko said sweetly.

"Yeah yeah yeah, Riko's a degenerate, but, answer the questions, boy!" Chihiro said with her own shaken fist. Riko swung her gaze over to Chihiro and narrowed her eyes at her in disapproval.

"Yeah, I need to know if I need to up my game with Riko or not." Nanami piled on. Riko blinked and pulled her focus off Chihiro to eye Nanami suspiciously.

"Of course I'll be nice to her, don't worry, we'll have fun." Ranma responded sincerely. She smiled at that.

"Details, boy, we need details! I have weekend plans for Riko that involve helmets and screaming, I need to know if I need to include fire." Nanami pressed him.

Riko opened her eyes wide and blinked at Nanami with worry. "Come on Nanami, if you’re going to start planning my demise again, at least give me some sort of warning."

Nanami smiled and blew a kiss at Riko. "Consider yourself warned." Nanami said with a loving growl.

Riko frowned and stared suspiciously at Nanami.

"What about you, Nabiki? Have any naughty plans for him once you have him alone?" Chihiro asked in a sweet tone.

She smiled at that. "I can neither confirm nor deny allegations related to any plans, naughty or otherwise, at this time." She said in her best politician voice.

"That means yes." Riko announced confidently. Yui nodded her head vigorously in agreement.

Chihiro rolled her eyes. "Fine, but I expect an after-action report." Then she fixed her stare on Ranma. "And I expect her to have something _interesting_ to tell me in her report." Chihiro growled at him as she held the stare. Ranma blinked at her nervously and nodded.

"Now, aside from that, what are we going to do about getting Yui a date?" Chihiro asked as she swung her gaze over to Yui.

Yui grimaced. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, or burn it. Either way, we save that for later. I'm more interested to hear about Ranma's thoughts on being a girl from a guy's point of view." Yui deflected.

"Oh yeah, he was telling us all about his alter ego yesterday and his sexy shower-time antics." Riko chirped happily.

Ranma stared at Riko wide-eyed.

"See what happens when you tell them stuff?" She said to him with a wink.

Ranma nodded. "I'm startin' to." He said with a frown.

"I have just one question for you, Ranma." Riko said seriously while holding up a finger.

He sighed and nodded for her to go ahead.

"What brand of pad do you use?" Riko asked gleefully.

"Riko!" She said with a surprised noise that was a mix between a gasp and a laugh. Ranma was turning bright red.

"Hey, come on, fair question! He's a girl too, at least part of the time." Riko protested.

"True." Yui confirmed helpfully.

"Yeah Ranma, tell." Chihiro pressed him.

He looked down and shook his head rapidly. She knew this was an area he just _wasn't_ going to joke about, especially not with people he barely knew. She made a mental note to ask him about it later and got ready to force them to change the subject.

Riko was grinning from ear to ear. "You know you want to, look into my eyes, you are in my poweeeeeer." She said in an exaggerated slow voice.

"Look out, Ranma, she's an Esper ... or so she says anyway." Nanami warned in an amused voice.

"Oh, god help us all if Riko was an Esper." Chihiro piped in.

"You don't want to doubt me, that isn't the path for winners. Be a winner Chihiro." Riko said with a silly nod of her head while continuing to try to get Ranma to meet her eyes.

"Oh, good grief. You see what you started now, Ranma? She's on her Esper thing now." Yui complained to him with a sigh.

"I ..." Ranma trailed off in confusion.

Nanami sighed and poked him in the leg. "Louder! Some of us are further away than Nabiki is."

"Careful, you might scare him away like Kenta." Chihiro cautioned.

Ranma looked back and forth between them as a stubborn expression rose up on his face.

Riko wasn't done, though. She affected a German accent, sat up, grabbed his cheeks and stared into his eyes, and tried again. "You are being foolish, boy. We haf vays of making you tok!"

Every single one of them, herself included, lost it at that and dissolved into giggles. Ranma looked around at them in confusion.

"Old joke, I'll explain it later. Let's eat, shall we ladies?" She announced.

Riko smiled and shook her head back and forth happily. "Yes, yes, I decree it to be eating time, and also public safety lady time!"

"What does she..?" Ranma whispered to her in confusion.

"Just watch." She replied in her own whisper as she smiled.

They all settled down to eat, and Riko started calling out bad come-ons and pickup lines to the girls. All of whom took turns responding to them.

"Where have you been all my life?" Riko asked Yui.

"Anywhere you weren't." Yui shot back.

"Haven't I seen you someplace before?" Riko asked Chihiro.

"Yeah, I was the one running away from you." Chihiro said casually.

Riko turned and purred to Nanami. "Your body's like a temple."

"Sorry, I just converted to paganism. Temple's closed." Nanami replied with a wink.

"So... they're practin' ..." Ranma whispered to her.

"Yup, they're practicing shooting down bad come-ons. She said with a smile.

Riko turned and fixed her with stare and winked. "I'd go to the end of the world for you."

She laughed. "Great, please stay there!" She said as she stuck her tongue out. Riko winked in reply and continued playing the game.

"Why are they..." Ranma asked.

She looked at him and grinned as she shrugged.

"I want to give myself to you." Riko said to Yui in a breathy voice.

"Sorry, I don't accept charity cases." Yui said breezily.

"How long do they practice this?" Ranma asked as Riko continued peppering out bad pickup lines in the background.

"I think if we let her go on, Riko could probably do it all day. She has this freaky knowledge of like, every terrible pickup line ever uttered in the history of the world. She even knows them in different languages."

"Wow." Ranma said in an impressed tone.

"I SAID, I'd go through anything for you." Riko broke in, loudly.

She looked over at Riko and found her staring impatiently. She grinned and shot back. "Awesome, let's start with your wallet!"

Riko laughed at that one and the game was over.

Ranma took the opportunity to jump in. "Why are you practicing shooting people down?"

Riko smiled at him. "We're not practicing shooting _people_ down. We're practicing shooting _scumbags_ down. If you want a date, talk to us like fellow humans, not like morons who swoon at goofy pickup lines. Besides, fast comebacks are great to keep the mind agile. It's mental training." Riko insisted.

Ranma sat back and nodded at that. He could appreciate training in any form.

Chihiro smiled at him. "It's the same as you practicing your martial arts, right? Gotta keep those skills sharp." Chihiro chimed in. "A sharp mind can come in handy for school, dating, and helping your friends." Chihiro added firmly.

"Speaking of friends, why are you friends with Nabiki?" He asked.

Chihiro looked down as she replied. "Nabiki ... helped me out a lot when I needed it, she made me a promise and she kept it, I've never forgotten that. How could I not be her friend after that?" Chihiro said softly.

She knew it was hard for Chihiro to admit even that much. It was a great sign of Chihiro's respect for Ranma that she'd told him even that much. She made a note to tell him to tread lightly on that topic in the future.

"What did she help you with?" Ranma asked in a curious voice.

She winced inwardly as Chihiro looked away. She berated herself for not telling him which topics weren't good conversation topics with him before she brought him over. She reached over and put her hand on his and shook her head gently. He nodded and looked away from Chihiro.

Unfortunately, he hadn't picked up that that line of questioning wasn't a great idea. He'd only picked up that he shouldn't press Chihiro on it. He swiveled to the other newest person he had met and repeated his question to Nanami. "Okay, well, what about you, Nanami? How do you know Nabiki?"

"I met her here at Furinkan, I told you that. Pay attention." Nanami said as she stuck her tongue out.

"Okay, but, why are you her friend?" Ranma pressed her.

"Because she's funny as hell, and crazy-interesting, and one of the only people in this sorry town able to keep up with me ... and she helped me when nobody else could or would." Nanami added quietly. Riko reached over and took Nanami's hand gently in hers. She saw Nanami squeeze it gently.

Her eyes darted back to Ranma. He was busy looking at all of her friends suspiciously, as he tried to work out what the favors thing was. He finally turned to her and asked her directly.

"How many favors _do_ people owe you?"

She smiled at him but didn't answer. The truth was she didn't know the exact amount off the top of her head, she'd have to check her books for that.

"A lot, Ranma. Like, she could raise her own army if she wanted to, kinds of numbers." Riko said happily.

"Why not just charge money?" He asked.

"Sometimes I do. It depends on what the favor is, whether it is for a good cause or not, whether I like the person or not, whether they can pay or not, whether I think they would be worth more as a favor owed, versus cash in the pocket. A favor owed can be far more valuable than money."

"Do you ever not charge?" He asked.

"Only for family and very close friends." She said with a smile as she got up and walked over to sit next to Riko on the grass. Ranma followed her with his eyes and she patted the grass next to her and invited him to join her. He nodded and got up and followed her.

They mostly finished eating in a comfortable silence for a few minutes after that. Riko and Nanami kept whispering to each other, and Yui was muttering to herself as she ran though her notes for class.

She wasn't feeling particularly hungry and she was idly running her hand through the cool grass, and ruffling some of the wild flowers growing in it. She picked a few of the flowers and held them up and looked at them. They were small and inconsequential, kind of a metaphor for her life. She sighed and stuck one of the flowers into her hair, tucked behind her ear. Then she smiled softly as she reached over to Ranma and stuck a flower into one of the ties on his shirt. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, but let her do it. She smiled a bit more and stuck one of the flowers into his hair. He narrowed his eyes at her. She knew his manly image of himself didn't want to be adorned with flowers. That just made her smile more. She scooted to the back of him and started weaving one of the flowers with a longer stem into his pig-tail.

Chihiro noticed her putting the flowers on him, and smiled softly as she slipped her camera off her wrist and started taking pictures of them together. Once she was done putting the flowers on him, she climbed into his lap and just cuddled with him. He held her loosely and familiarly. It really was true what they said, the best relationships could be made with people you were already friends with. Ranma hadn't been her friend before this had started, but he had known her, and lived with her. That still allowed them to skip the awkward getting-to-know-each-other stage.

She leaned back into him and sighed happily. She wasn't the happiest she had ever been in her life, but she was very close to it. She knew they would have to break the happy spell of their lunchtime gathering in just a few more minutes. But she was all right. Most of her fears had fled from earlier. Ranma _obviously_ cared about her. She didn't know if he loved her. But she knew he cared. That was enough for now.

They all stood up minutes later as they got ready for the bell to ring. Yui walked up to her and started asking her about solving differential equations with the new technique the teacher had showed in class today. At the same time, she saw Ranma wander over to Riko next to her and strike up a conversation. He was bold, she'd give him that. She heard most of what they said to each other in between her math conversation with Yui.

"...hat's with all the favors?" He asked.

Yui then asked her something about their upcoming test and her mind slipped back to talking about math.

"...e all owed her something in the past, and she took care of us, and paid it forward. She calls us her chief lieutenants, and she thinks that the favors matter to us. They don't. We all love her. We'd do anything for her, favors or no." She heard Riko say as she tuned back in to what they were saying.

Yui could tell her attention wasn't on the math discussion, so she smiled and drifted away to go talk to Chihiro with a promise to revisit the math discussion at a later time. She nodded and tuned back in to what Riko was telling Ranma.

"...ut what did she—"

"It isn't important, Ranma. All you need to know is that if you're loyal to Nabiki, she will take care of you. Of course, if you betray her ... run." Riko said in a jovial tone.

"I don't betray people." Ranma said in a dead-serious tone.

"So I've heard." Riko said, then added more loudly. "Hey, Kiki-chan, who's that? Looks like trouble coming."

She started to turn to gaze where Riko was pointing, and frowned. "Is it Kuno again?"

"No, new chick." Yui said as she walked over and looked where Riko had pointed as well.

"She's heading right for us."

The girl Riko had pointed out was indeed heading right towards them, and she had a trail of followers behind her. She frowned at that. The situation had all the signs of a major problem about to start.

"What's with all the girls following her?" Chihiro asked in a suspicious voice.

"Probably paid them." She mumbled as she assessed the girls incoming, and noted the features of all of them for later.

"What's—"

"Not now Ranma, not much time until she gets here." She said gently to Ranma as she turned to Riko. "Code green, okay?"

Riko nodded and saluted. "Got it, be right back." Riko said sincerely as she ran off in a sprint.

Ranma watched her run off with confusion etched on his face. "Code green?"

"Don't worry about it." She said to him with a wink. "Shall we, ladies?" She said as she turned to the rest of them.

The girls all voiced their agreement and walked over to stand around her in a tight group.

Ranma just watched them with wide eyes. For someone who was so tuned into fighting, he still hadn't picked up on the signs that a fight was brewing.

She smiled at him. "Can you go see what she wants? Stall for time?" She asked.

He nodded and walked out towards the approaching girl with tentative steps that he tried to make look confident. He looked back at her a couple of times. She smiled at him to encourage him.

"So, what do you think her problem is?" Yui whispered.

"I don't know, but she's clearly after Ranma. So, this chick is about to pick the wrong fight." She said with steel in her voice.


	33. Your Word Against Mine

Ranma stopped about a dozen paces away from Nabiki and her friends. He absently brushed his hands through his hair and removed the flowers she had put there. He didn't knock the flower in his shirt loose, though. Whether that was an oversight or deliberate, she didn't know. She did know that it made her very happy.

She watched the girl who was headed straight for Ranma, and braced herself mentally for a fight. Everything about the girl screamed confrontation. The girl's face was pressed into a tight frown. Her hands were clenched at her sides, and her eyes were fixed and hard on Ranma. The girl was also trailing several additional people, all female, with similar expressions on their faces. They were clearly her backup.

The girl in the lead had long black hair, a trim figure, and a cute aristocratic face. She was wearing the standard blue dress that was the girl's school uniform that most of the schools in the area used. As the girl got closer, she could see an intense frown on the girl's face. The expression of outrage on the girl's face marred her otherwise attractive features, and that outrage was directed at Ranma.

As the girl got close enough to Ranma that he could speak to her, he walked forward a few steps and smiled. He was trying to do what she'd asked and stall her. Ranma said a few things to the girl quietly enough that she couldn't hear them. The girl didn't respond to him. It was clear the girl was waiting for a larger crowd before she began.

She watched the girl with a very critical eye. The girl's opening salvo would determine how she would respond to the situation, if at all. Since the girl had brought backup, she seriously doubted the confrontation was going to be about money owed or homework.

"What do you think? New fiancée?" Yui asked gently from her left side.

"No, my money's on paid assassin." She responded absently as she sat down a little bit away from the confrontation. She was close enough to hear them, but not close enough to stand-out. A crowd was starting to form around the confrontation, drawing people from all around. Crowds always loved drama, especially when it concerned Ranma. She saw Akane and her friends join the edge of the crowd. Akane looked ... troubled.

Riko returned at a jog a few moments later. A dozen or so additional students trailed behind Riko, all of them female, and loyal to her. She could see more of them making their way over in the distance. The ones who had arrived all silently joined the group sitting around her. Riko took her rightful place at her right side.

She interrupted her evaluation of the girl staring Ranma down, for a moment, to nod her thanks to Riko. Riko smiled and reached over and squeezed her shoulder. She noted the presence of the rest of the girls who had come when Riko summoned them for her. All of them she counted in the ranks of her most trusted lieutenants. She didn't say anything, but she did sweep her gaze over them briefly and gave them a tight smile. They all either nodded, winked or smiled back. She nodded and went back to watching and assessing the threat while more of her lieutenants continued to stream over to her from around the school as the moments ticked by.

Part of her mind wanted to analyze what she had heard Riko telling Ranma just a little while ago. On some level she had always wondered why Riko and the others had stayed with her. Their initial meetings had been business transactions that had just snowballed. Riko was the only one of them who had started out as a genuine friend. She hadn't been in the business of doing favors for people in primary school.

It frankly shocked her to learn that Riko and the others didn't care about the favors. She had always thought that at least some of their loyalty to her was due to those favors. That was part of the reason why she never cashed in the favors they owed to her. She loved them too, and had _wanted_ to help them when they'd needed it. She had wanted them to stay with her and be her friends, so she had never asked them for payment for the favors she had done for them.

If Riko hadn't been yanking Ranma's chain, then ... all of that time she had spent trying to make sure they had owed her favors so they would stay with her ... had been silly time wasted. She could feel herself starting to tear-up as the urge to cry rose up in her. Maybe ... maybe others, like Riko, hadn't thought of her as the Ice Queen like she had thought everyone did. She couldn't afford to get weepy right now though. So she clamped down viciously on the feelings rising up inside her, and vowed to deal with them later. Right now, Ranma needed her.

The girl who had marched straight up to Ranma was now standing in front of him and glaring at him with her hands on her hips. The girl's half dozen backers arrayed themselves behind her and fanned out to partially surround him. All of them had their arms folded and looked angry. She only recognized about half of them. She was fairly sure the rest didn't actually go to their school. She was positive the lead girl didn't go to their school.

When a large enough crowd had gathered, the lead girl started yelling as she pointed at Ranma. "He's the guy! He's a pervert! He groped me behind the girl's locker room earlier!"

The crowd gasped and started murmuring about Ranma being a pervert, and out of control, a _womanizer_ and various other common names he was called.

Riko and Yui both put their hands on her shoulders comfortingly. She nodded her thanks but didn't break her focus. She wanted to wait until this girl had laid all her cards on the table before she called her bluff. It was rapidly dawning on her what this really was, and who had to be behind it, and she vowed to seek revenge later. But, at the moment, she was busy formulating a defense for Ranma.

"He's a pervert! He should be punished! He should be thrown out of school! Someone call the police!" The girl cried out indignantly as she pointed at him angrily.

 _And that's your first and second mistake_. She thought icily to herself. _Don't worry Ranma, this kind of fight is one **I** can protect **you** from._

Ranma tried to stammer a denial. "I didn't, I didn't. I wasn't anywhere near there, it musta been someone else!" Ranma said with both shock and fear in his voice as he waved his hands back and forth. If there was one way to get to Ranma that was almost guaranteed to fluster him, it was to force him into an awkward situation with a female. She sighed inwardly about that and promised to keep helping him work on that. Riko was actually the _perfect_ person for that. Ranma needed all the exposure to Riko he could get. She idly considered bringing Riko home to hang out with him, then discarded the idea. Riko mixing with Akane or even Kasumi ... wouldn't end well.

"Oh come on, you're a well known pervert. Your own fiancée calls you a pervert all the time." The girl said haughtily as she swung her gaze over to Akane in the crowd. "Isn't that right, dear?" Ranma's accuser asked. Akane had been watching the whole scene with a detached look on her face. Now that the focus was on Akane, her little sister blushed mightily and looked down at the ground.

 _Well, I guess I have to give this chick points for doing_ some _research, incomplete research to be sure, but she may have just asked the wrong people. There is no way a paid assassin would know about a fiancée of his at all, without at least some research being done._ She acknowledged to herself as she watched how Akane would handle being singled out.

"What? Oh, um, well. Ranma's not ... you don't un... it's ... um ... " Akane stuttered as she blushed under the intense stares of the crowd.

"See, his own fiancée won't even vouch for him. Nobody believes him." The girl smirked, clearly thinking she had Ranma on the ropes.

"All right, that's enough _._ " She said softly as she nodded to her lieutenants, who nodded back. They stood up as one as she shouted, " _I BELIEVE HIM!_ " Her lieutenants started to ring her, many of them were wearing stone-faced masks to hide their feelings. She decided to keep her own feelings hidden behind her professional mask, for now. Yui, Riko, Chihiro and Nanami didn't bother to hide their feelings though. They looked just as pissed as she felt. They may not have been involved with him romantically, but he was one of them now. He'd gone through his trial-by-fire, and they looked after their own. That was one of the reasons she loved them.

Ranma's accuser looked over her shoulder and sneered at her. "And who are you, girl?"

She smiled back in return, a special, predatory small smile, that didn't reach her eyes. Several of the guys in the crowd took involuntary steps back when they saw the look on her face. They knew that look. They _feared_ that look. She started walking to put herself in between Ranma and his accuser. Her lieutenants formed up into two lines of a loose wedge in front and to the sides of her.

She walked calmly between the two ranks of her lieutenants as they parted the crowd before her like water. Her lieutenants on the leading edge actually brushed up against some of the accuser girl's backup, and she could see her lieutenants brace to fight, but the accuser's backups retreated after a brief staring match.

She very rarely called up favors like this, especially with her own most trusted lieutenants, but she was angry and Ranma was being threatened, and she wanted to make a point of the kind of power _she_ could wield. Ranma wasn't the only one who could save people. And not all fights had to be done with fists.

As she neared Ranma's accuser and looked at her, she realized she was more than angry, she was furious. She had to call on her deep pool of willpower to keep her professional mask in place and not just leap on the girl and claw her eyes out. She could already feel herself flushing with heat and her breathing rate increasing as her body prepared to fight.

She could see Ranma out of the corner of her eye looking at her with wide eyes. She had to ignore him for now and take care of business. She wanted to run over to him and hug him and tell him it was going to be all right. But that would actually hurt his defense at the moment. She needed to be strong and not show any weakness right now.

She looked around at the crowd and made eye contact with several people before she smirked and snapped her fingers. One by one, some of the largest Martial Artists in the school came out of the crowd and lined up and stood behind her with their arms crossed, looking extremely imposing. Over a dozen of them quickly gathered and stood behind her. Ranma eyed them warily.

Ranma's accuser took a cautious step back as she repeated her question in a much shakier voice. "W-who ... who a-are you?"

She didn't answer right away. She looked left and right to her ranks of her most trusted lieutenants, and smiled that special smile again. It was a remorseless smile. Then she looked the girl up and down dismissively before she scanned the crowd. She could already see some of the rabble-rousers who had been yelling for Ranma's head slinking away with their tails between their legs. They knew the fun was over. Her eyes rested briefly on Akane. Her little sister was looking at her with a mixture of resentment and appreciation.

 _Oh, Akane ... if you care about him so much, why does it embarrass you so much to say so openly?_ She thought sadly for her little sister. She widened her eyes and tilted her head a millimeter towards herself, inviting Akane to come out and take the lead. Akane actually took a step towards her, then hesitated and stepped back. Her little sister looked down and hung her head and didn't look up again.

 _Sorry, sis, Ranma needs me_. She thought sadly as she swept her eyes back to the girl who'd made the accusations against Ranma and put her hands on her own hips. She stared at the girl with dead eyes, like a soldier who had seen too much and didn't care what happened next. She answered Ranma's accuser in an icy voice. "I am someone you really, _really_ don't want to mess with. Am I, ladies?"

"NO!" Her lieutenants thundered in a chorus so loud and abrupt that most of the girls backing Ranma's accuser actually jumped in a startled reaction. She smiled a real smile briefly at that. She loved her lieutenants. It hadn't escaped her notice that the lead girl who had made the accusation hadn't jumped in fright. A conditioned response against fear indicated training. This was no simple school girl.

A moment later, she watched in satisfaction as some of Ranma's accuser's supporters quietly stepped back and tried to sneak away unnoticed. They were the girls she was fairly sure attended their school. She saw the accuser's resolve waver for a moment as her supporters fled. She noted all of their faces to deal with later. Ranma's accuser looked around in surprise for a moment, then gathered herself and clearly decided to fight. She could tell by the girl's stance and facial expression.

 _That's your third mistake_. She thought with satisfaction that she kept hidden behind her professional mask.

"Well, I don't care who you are, or how many people you have with you. I have the truth on my side, and I want to see this pervert punished!" The girl yelled.

 _Fourth mistake._ She thought as she got even more angry. "All right, I am going to stop you now, because you are only embarrassing yourself and you are also frankly harming women everywhere with your bullshit. It is because of vile little prevaricators like you, that _real_ victims have a hard time getting justice for _real_ crimes against women. How _dare_ you lie about something like that just to try to hurt Ranma? I won't stand for it!" She yelled as she dropped her hands from her hips into fists and felt herself blaze with anger. She could feel the heat of it rising off her. The dragon inside her was spitting in rage and trying to claw its way out to get to the girl. She could feel the heat of that anger in the center of her chest, and it was getting worse by the second.

The rest of the girl's backers stepped back then, and started to turn their backs and walk away. Now Ranma's accuser was alone. The girl looked around in disbelief as they abandoned her, before she answered. "W-what are you talking about? Everything I said is true." The girl protested indignantly but with a bit of a waver in her voice. Most people would have missed it, but she didn't.

"Really? Where are your witnesses? They all seem to be fleeing the scene of the crime." She bit off each word angrily as she said it, and took several steps towards the girl. To the girl's credit, she could tell Ranma's accuser had realized she was beaten. The girl actually took several steps back from her and visibly prepared to run.

She normally would have let her go, but she furious. She snapped her fingers again and flicked her hands out, then closed her fists to signal her lieutenants. Her lieutenants responded instantly and sprinted out and away from her, and then charged inward quickly, as they linked their arms and closed ranks to encircle them close enough so that they were literally standing hip to hip and shoulder to shoulder. That trapped the girl and forced her back into the center of the circle they had formed around them.

She snapped again and waved a single finger in the air in a circle, and the guys she liked to think of as her _brute squad_ moved quickly and loosely encircled her lieutenants and again took up positions with their arms folded and scowls on their faces. Ranma was outside the circle now, along with Akane. The rest of the crowd had been pushed back as well. Some of them started to wander off, but most of them just stood on their tip-toes or did little hops every now and then to see better. Crowds were like that, especially in high school.

"W-what ... what are you doing? _Who are you?_ " The girl asked as she put on a brave face and tried to act haughty, but she could tell the girl was thinking that she hadn't been paid enough to face something like this.

 _Well, tough, you take the job and try to slander Ranma, and I have to destroy you. Anything goes when you mess with my family, girl_. She thought in disgust.

"I, as you clearly don't know, am Ranma's fiancée." She said calmly, but with anger still burning in her voice.

"W-what? No! That girl is." Ranma's accuser said, as she pointed to Akane.

Akane shook her head but didn't look up or say anything.

Ranma's accuser looked back at her with real panic in her eyes now. She had moved on her target with bad intel and an incomplete grasp on the assignment, and she would pay the price for it now. And she was sure whoever had given her the job would be paying as well, later.

"All right, well, so what? It doesn't change anything. He's still a—" The girl started to say.

"Shut up! Just _shut up_!" She interrupted as she actually took a step forward and raised her hand to slap the girl, and had to force herself to stop. After she had regained control, she slowly lowered her hand while she stared at the girl with eyes blazing with cold fury.

She looked down at the ground for a moment, and took a couple of deep breaths before she trusted herself to speak again. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. She focused on the scent of the grass and the dust in the air and tried to control her anger. When she looked back up, she found the girl backed as far away from her as her lieutenants would allow.

The girl wasn't pressing into her ring of lieutenants, but she was sure she wanted to. Her lieutenants were watching all of this with impassive faces, although some of them, like Riko, Yui, Chihiro and Nanami, who had spent time with Ranma, had anger in their eyes.

As for herself, she felt herself burning with the anger. It was melting her icy facade, and she knew cracks were appearing in her professional mask. She didn't care. The dragon inside her was stalking back and forth as it glared at the girl and flexed its paws to pop its claws in and out, as it readied itself to tear the girl apart. She laid into her, speaking mostly for the crowd now.

"You know, Ranma really doesn't like being called a pervert, and I don't like hearing him called one. It would be one thing if he actually was one. Or if he was at least a bit of a shameless romancer. But even that isn't true. Ranma is actually very shy. He is also very nice, and he does a lot for this school. _Doesn't he?!_ " She yelled.

Her ring of lieutenants all nodded their heads, as did several heads in the crowd. She piled on as Ranma's accuser flinched away from her as she continued to yell.

"Ranma has _saved_ this school, multiple times! Ranma has protected this school from _actual_ perverts like that dirty old underwear thief! Ranma has protected many of the students at this school, many times, including myself and my sister! He might have some personal problems, but his problems are our problems, aren't they?!"

"Yeah!"

"That's true!"

"Leave Ranma alone!" Several people cried out from the crowd as she jogged their memories. She let her gaze wander into the crowd again, and found Ranma looking around wildly at everyone in disbelief as he blushed at the praise. Akane was looking up again as well. Her little sister had tears streaming down her cheeks and was staring at her. She watched Akane carefully and saw her mouth the words, _thank you,_ silently to her. She winked at her sister then refocused her attention on the character-assassin.

Ranma's accuser was staring at her with a mixture of awe and loathing. She decided to give her one last chance to back out of this before she destroyed her. "Now, do you want to take back what you said, and apologize?" She asked with steel in her voice.

"N-no." Ranma's accuser said as she visibly gathered her courage. The girl stood up straighter and pointed at Ranma and yelled. "It doesn't matter if he's done nice things in the past, he should be punished for being a—"

"I told you!" She interrupted Ranma's accuser sharply. She paused for a moment for effect, then said more quietly in a deadly tone, "I told you, Ranma doesn't like to be called that. So, unless you have some actual proof of anything, I am going to have to really insist that you not call him that."

"What kind of proof would I have of him groping me?" The girl asked, incredulous.

She grinned. _Fifth mistake._ She thought smugly as she pressed the girl harder. "Tell me, where was Ranma standing when he was supposedly groping you?" She asked as calmly as she could, but her voice still shook with anger.

"Behind the girl's locker room, near the window." The girl said indignantly.

She let her special smile slip into a full grin. _Gotcha_. She thought as she walked forward and began ticking points off her fingers loudly to the crowd. "Your third mistake was deciding to stick to your story after being called on it, when you and I both know it is a lie. Your fourth mistake was doubling down and wrapping yourself up with a claim of truth being on your side when you knew you couldn't back it up. And your fifth mistake was not thinking your story through and thinking about the trail of evidence and any proof that might be searched for."

Then she pointed at Ranma's feet. "Ranma wears very unique shoes he got in China. _Nobody_ else in this school will leave footprints like his. How much do you want to bet his footprints won't be found outside that window? I'll give you one to ten million odds."

The girl didn't say anything, but she could tell Ranma's accuser was beaten. She didn't care, she'd given the girl a chance to back down, and she hadn't, now she was going to destroy her. _Don't start fights you can't finish_. She growled to herself.

"I need a volunteer!" She yelled to the crowd while she kept her eyes on the girl. Several guys and girls raised their hands eagerly. They smelled blood in the water, and were eager to see her make the kill. Normally she wouldn't indulge them, but today she would. She picked one of the girls at random, whom she didn't know. "You there, can you please go over to my fiancé and ask him to lift his foot so you can see his footprint?" The crowd waited silently while the girl nodded and did exactly that. Ranma obliged her while looking embarrassed.

 _Don't worry Ranma, this will be over in a minute._ She thought with granite resolve. Her volunteer looked over at her and waited for more instructions.

"Okay, now that you know what his footprint looks like, can you please run over to the girl's locker room and check the back for that footprint? Please come back and tell us what you see there." The girl nodded and jogged towards the locker room. The crowd watched her go quietly. She decided to rile them back up again.

She pointed her finger at Ranma's accuser and sneered. "You know she isn't going to find anything. Ranma is _innocent_ , and you know it."

Ranma's accuser shook her head urgently. She was pretty sure the girl was in denial at this point, not able to fully appreciate how badly she had miscalculated.

"How dare you. _How dare you_ accuse someone innocent of something like that. That is the kind of thing that can follow someone around their whole life. Ranma is _my_ fiancé, and I won't stand for it. He isn't perfect, but he is a good, and kind person. He cares about people. He's saved the life of my little sister so many times, I've lost count. He protects my family. He goes out of his way to try to keep people from being hurt. He has never done anything to deserve being called a pervert, and _I WILL NOT ALLOW IT!_ " She yelled in a voice that was verging on a scream, she could feel herself rapidly losing control.

The crowd cheered in response to her. Riko, Yui, Chihiro and Nanami cheered the loudest, and nodded their heads enthusiastically. Even her brute squad guys were nodding and smiling. A part of her was watching herself do what she was doing, and heard what she was saying, and had its mouth open in shock. Even she didn't fully understand why she was doing it.

She pulled her mind back to the task at hand, and watched the crowd and frowned. She found crowds to be weird things. The same crowd could be whipped up into a murderous frenzy and then turned around and brought to praise the same person they had wanted to kill just moments before, depending on how one played them. They were almost like living organisms.

She rounded on the girl and stepped fully in front of Ranma, and blocked his accuser's line of sight to him as she held her hands out to either side of herself protectively while she yelled. "Do you understand?! Ranma is _my_ fiancé. If you try to slander him, _I'LL RUIN YOU._ " The crowd erupted into cheers as well as _oohs_ and _aahs_ and many side conversations rapidly discussing her new revelations about her feelings for him. She had never done _anything_ like this for anyone in the school before. Even her lieutenants were letting their masks slip as they blinked at her in surprise.

She held her hands out for quiet and rounded on the girl and glared at her. "I have a feeling I know who put you up to this. When you see them again, tell them that Nabiki Tendo will not tolerate people coming after her family. You want to take down Ranma, or Akane, or anyone else in my family, you have to go through _me_. Ask anyone at this school you want, they will all tell you that is a bad idea." She growled.

She turned away for a moment, then turned back and said in a quiet voice that the crowd immediately quieted down to hear. "Oh, and in case you were wondering, your first mistake was not knowing who I was, and that Ranma is engaged to me. Everyone in the school knows about it. The fact that you didn't, tells me you aren't even a student here. And your second mistake, and the most fatal, was you didn't even check your target before you struck."

"W-what do you mean?" The girl asked timidly but with a hint of her paid assassin's actual personality starting to peek out. She had clearly roused the girl's professional interest.

She looked at her and smiled. "If you had bothered to watch your target before you attacked, you would have known that Ranma was with me and my friends all during lunch today. We can all vouch for him, can't we ladies?" As one, Riko, Yui, Chihiro and Nanami all nodded and glared at the girl.

"S-so what? It's still your word against mine." The girl stammered.

"So what, indeed." She said as she savored the kill. She stared into the girl's eyes for a moment, then asked the crowd a question. "Can anyone tell me what is in the middle button of Ranma's shirt?"

"A little pink and blue flower." Someone called out.

"Yup. A flower." Someone else confirmed.

She smirked and pointed to Chihiro. "Do you see the camera hanging on the strap on her wrist over there? That's my friend Chihiro. She just so happens to like taking photos, and she was with us at lunch today. I can guarantee you that she has pictures of Ranma and me on her camera, and Ranma will have that flower in his shirt. You can ask anyone in this school, Ranma never walks around with flowers in his shirt. The only reason it is still there is because you ambushed him and he forgot about it after _I put it there_."

She paused for a moment, then saw the girl who she had sent to check for footprints coming back. "Checkmate," she said under her breath with a smile.

Ranma's accuser looked up where she was looking, and shattered. She could actually see the will to fight drop out of the girl as she slumped down as her mask slipped and full panic showed on her face as she turned and tried to run away.

Her lieutenants just stood there as the girl pressed frantically against them and tried to break out from their ring. She waved everyone off and called out to the guys in the back ranks to let her go. As soon as her ring of lieutenants stepped back, the girl sprinted away like her ass was on fire.

She couldn't help getting in one last shot as the heat of her anger died down. "You're a disgrace!" She yelled after her.

She then turned back to face the girl who was running back to the crowd, looking excited. As soon as the girl was in earshot she began shouting. "No footprints. No footprints. I didn't see anything!"

At that, Ranma deflated with relief, and the crowd cheered. She didn't cheer with them. She actually had nothing but contempt for most of those in the crowd who had been willing to go along with that girl's charade just because they liked a good spectacle, and quite frankly because a lot of them were jealous of Ranma. Her brute squad also cheered.

Only her lieutenants also refrained from cheering. She knew that, aside from her friends, most of their loyalty was bought. Well, at least, she thought it was bought. Riko's comments to Ranma were causing her to question everything she thought she knew about all that. But, regardless, her lieutenants were loyal to her, and she could count on that.

She smiled her thanks to Riko, Yui, Chihiro and Nanami, and the rest of her lieutenants as they dispersed. Many of them hugged Ranma as they left. Both Riko and Yui were so excited, they kissed him full on the mouth. Riko actually jumped into his arms to do it. She rolled her eyes at their antics. At least they'd kept their mouths closed while they teased him. She looked for Akane but didn't see her.

She imagined her sister had probably faded away from the crowd as soon as she knew Ranma was safe. She wanted to talk to her later, but what would she say? _'Sorry I had to jump in and protect Ranma because you wouldn't, how you feeling about that?' Yeah, that would go over really well._ She thought to herself. Still, she could only imagine how much her sister must be hurting. She knew she would be very upset if someone else jumped in and defended Ranma because she couldn't.

 _Poor Akane_. She thought sadly. It was funny. Earlier in the day she had been extremely worried that Akane was succeeding in taking him back, and now she was worrying about Akane feeling bad about losing him. Her emotions were all over the place right now.

As the crowd cleared, she found Ranma looking over at her with an expression of open bewilderment mixed with awe and appreciation for her. She was sure he would want to know how she had arranged that. Maybe she would tell him some of her secrets on their date. She thought about that and smiled. It would be nice to share some things with someone she could trust.

He made his way over to her, and took her hand in his and whispered. "Thank you, thank you so much."

She smiled at him. "That's one less I owe you now, Saotome. You'll have to save my life again if you want to bring the count back up." She winked at him playfully.

"I'd rather you not have your life in danger, at all." He said softly.

"I know ... I know." She looked at him and smiled softly.

"Nabiki?" He said in a smaller, more playful voice.

"Mmm?" She replied as she started to lean in to him. He smelled like Riko and Yui's perfume, but she didn't care. He also smelled strongly of his own cedar and flower scent, probably because he had been sweating nervously during all that.

"You ... can be ... kind of terrifyin' sometimes ... you know?" He whispered as he stepped closer to her.

She nodded and pulled him closer to herself, and wrapped his arms around her. Unlike this morning, he responded immediately and pulled her into a strong hug.

"Mmm hmm, and don't you forget it, Saotome." She mumbled as she relaxed into his arms. Her limbs felt a little shaky now that the adrenaline was wearing off, but it didn't matter since he was holding her anyway. Her breath was coming in shorter, more urgent little gasps. She didn't know if that was an after-affect of the confrontation, or if he just had that affect on her now. But it was all right, she could already feel her breathing slowing as he held her in his warm arms. He was always warm. She loved that about him. She buried her face into his chest, and grinned happily where nobody could see. "Ready to go back to class, Ranma?" She mumbled into his silky shirt. She didn't care what anyone might be thinking of their public display at the moment.

"Not yet." He said as he lifted her off the ground and hugged her even more tightly.

 _He's picking me up!_ She thought excitedly as she buried her head into his chest and nuzzled him. She knew what that meant.


	34. It Almost Never Happens

Nabiki packed up her bag in a daze at the end of the day. The rest of the day had passed in a blur after the incident at lunch. She remembered clearly Ranma holding her after it was over, and she remembered walking hand-in-hand with him to her classroom. They'd hugged again then, and after that he'd needed to go back to his own class.

She also clearly remembered Riko arriving and jumping on her and being very excited about everything that had happened during lunch while Yui, Nanami and Chihiro looked on and smiled.

She didn't remember much clearly after that. She had a vague memory of Kuno asking her for something, but she'd ignored him. She knew the lessons in class had gone on, but they were a blur, although she had noticed when she put her things away, that she actually had managed to take notes today. She didn't remember any of it, though. She had been very happy after the incident, and she still felt somewhat happy, but it was fading under the weight of her worries.

The majority of her mind was now occupied with going through the plan for Ukyo, and anxiously trying to make sure that she hadn't forgotten anything. The rest of her mind was replaying and analyzing what had happened at lunch and what she had done, and what she was going to do in response to it. She was worried about Ukyo, and angry about the attack on Ranma. At the moment though, her worry about Ukyo was her dominant focus.

She got up slowly, said her goodbyes to her friends, and made her way to Ranma's classroom. People passed her in the halls in a constant stream, as they hurried on their way. Some of those people even called out to her, either to comment about what had happened during lunch, or just because they knew her. She ignored all of it.

She didn't know why, exactly, but she was starting to feel bad. Well, not bad exactly, she felt ... dread. Yeah, dread was the right word. She felt like something awful and final was about to happen. Like she was walking towards her own execution. She shook her head violently and tried to force herself to stop dwelling on it.

Everything was fine. Ranma obviously had feelings for her. He couldn't seem to bring himself to say it, but he could show it. But ... that was the real problem, wasn't it? She _needed_ him to be able to say it. He _had to_ say it, and act on it, before the week was out, or it was all over. She had told him that in order to be with her, he had to pick just one person, and he had to do it by the end of the week. She blew out an exasperated breath and looked up at the ceiling as she sighed. _I am such a freaking idiot._ She berated herself.

 _What was I thinking? He was with Akane for months, and they barely made any progress at all. What made me think I could get him to resolve everything and openly pick me in a week? A week? I am so stupid. A year, maybe._ She thought angrily to herself as she neared his classroom. She wanted to change the conditions she'd given him, but it was too late now. They'd made the promises, she couldn't alter the deal now.

 _This isn't going to work. Getting him to tell Shampoo to go away was fairly difficult, and he doesn't even like Shampoo. Now I am trying to get him to go tell his oldest friend on Earth to go away today? There is no way he is going to be able to do it! She has a much longer history with him, she can cook, and she's gorgeous. What the hell can I offer him that she can't?_ She asked herself bitterly as she slowed her walking down.

 _It's all going to blow up today. We're going to go see Ukyo, and then he's going to freeze up, and Ukyo will call him one of her pet names for him, and remind him of their shared history, and ply him with tasty treats, and he'll look at me with those puppy dog eyes and ask himself why I am being mean and making him get rid of her. And ... the only answer I can possibly give him is ... I don't want to share him._ She thought sadly to herself as she slowed her steps more and more as she got closer and closer to his classroom.

She reached the hallway that contained his classroom, and stopped. She was standing in the middle of the hall and she was completely frozen in place. She was scared. Every time they touched on the subject of the rest of the girls chasing him, she felt pulled off-center. She was so far out of her comfort zone, she felt that she no longer had tools ready to use for what might happen. She didn't know how to handle what would happen if everything fell apart, and that was what she was dreading. She was in new territory in her life, she was trying to change how she lived her life, and it was difficult.

Being the Ice Queen had been _easy_. It had been a very easy role to play. It was essentially selfishness personified. All she had needed to do was exploit people and situations for her own personal gain, and not care at all what the consequences of that exploitation were. Oh sure, she had used the power that she had accumulated from the years and years of favors owed to her, to help her friends and family. But, for the most part, she had been a remorseless, pitiless corporation of one. She had been Nabiki Corp. People had known exactly what to expect from her, and what the rules had been, and it had been easy.

It had also been lonely.

Even with Chihiro, Riko, Nanami and Yui being her constant companions, she had kept them mostly at arm's length. Only Riko had been allowed to share in her private, personal feelings from time to time. And that was because Riko was the only one who had known her before the Ice Queen had been born. Riko had been her friend before she had gotten into the favors business. Riko had met Mom. Riko was the real thing, and she absolutely trusted Riko.

Everyone else ... she didn't really trust, not completely. Even Yui wasn't fully trusted. She loved her friends, but she had to protect herself. That had always been job number one, protect herself. She had kept everyone at a distance, and never invited them in to help warm her up and ease the loneliness. The trade-off for that had been that nobody could stab her in the back or hurt her. She had always felt that the trade-off had been worth it. Eventually, she had stopped noticing that she had been lonely. That had worked for her for a long, long time. She couldn't even remember when she had started doing it, or why. All she knew was that it was all she had ever really known, for a very long time.

And then ... and then ... Ranma had picked her up and carried her safely to the ground that night, and everything had changed.

"Everything changed." She whispered to herself as she stared at the doorway to his classroom.

Ranma had held her, and protected her, and cared about her. He'd reminded her what having someone close to her could feel like. He hadn't done it because he'd owed her a favor, or because he was being paid. He'd done it because he was a decent human being who didn't want to see her hurt.

The sad thing was, if Ranma had grown up in her town, she didn't think he would have done it. He probably would have been one of the many people who would have laughed their asses off to hear that she had fallen off a balcony and been hurt.

She had a lot of enemies out there, a lot. Plenty of them were just bitter and jealous of the success she had achieved, where they had failed. But many of them were people she had stepped on or exploited to achieve that success.

She wasn't ashamed of what she had done. It had been survival. She had done it to protect herself and by extension her family. In Japan, especially for a woman, most especially for a woman who wanted to enter the cutthroat world of business high finance, she needed to be hard to survive. She had known from a very young age that to make it in that world, she was going to have to be ruthless. For her to succeed, others would have to fail. That was the _only_ way it could be. Nobody wanted to hire a woman in upper levels of management in Japan anyway, and they certainly didn't want to hire one who wasn't the absolute, very best. In order to get where she wanted to be, she had to remove every single choice from them. She had to be the _only_ candidate. The only person who could make the company succeed. If they had _any_ other choice, they would take it.

So she had started out small, and built up her empire. She had embraced the Ice Queen persona, and she had thrived. She smiled a small smile. Riko had been joking at lunch, and she was sure Ranma had taken it as a joke, but the inside joke was, Riko had been joking about something that was actually true. She easily could raise her own army with the funds and favors owed to her. She had actual members of the House of Councillors on her favors owed lists, and she knew people in the Royal Family's household. She had CEOs and members of the Boards of Directors of very powerful companies who also owed her favors.

The funny thing was, because she usually operated in the shadows, most of the people who owed her favors, had no idea they owed them to a teenage high school girl. If they _had_ known that, many of them would have tried to get out of paying, and she would have had to destroy them, and that would not only burn bridges and waste a favor, but could get messy. It was much easier to do a lot of what she did through intermediaries.

She had always operated her favors business in the gray area of the law. _Nothing_ she ever did or procured or arranged, for anyone, was illegal, or against anyone's will. She made _sure_ of that, and she viciously punished anyone who ever broke that rule in her name.

But in areas that weren't expressly illegal, or were just frowned upon in society, that was where she had thrived. She had walked the line between the light and the darkness for so long now, she didn't fully know how to walk around openly in the light any more. In a lot of ways she was relying on Ranma to lead the way, which was probably silly because he had even less experience than she did in social skills.

However, he didn't have the baggage weighing him down like she did. He was more or less innocent of a lot of things. She wasn't innocent, by a long shot. She wasn't a villain, but she couldn't honestly say she hadn't harmed anyone. She did her very best to only step on those who deserved it, or those who were directly in her way on her climb up the ladder — preferably both.

And now, here she was asking him to commit to her, and to get rid of his oldest friend, who happened to be in love with him. Ukyo would be yet another person she had stepped on to achieve what she wanted. The truly terrible thing was ... she wasn't all that sorry about it. Ukyo was innocent, and didn't deserve what she was about to cause to happen to her. But she would encourage Ranma to do it anyway. It was business, and Ukyo was in her way. On a personal, human, level, she felt bad for Ukyo. But she never made business decisions on that level. The Ice Queen was in charge of all business decisions.

She sighed and eyed his classroom door, and dreaded what was coming. The similarity between what Akane had done yesterday, and what she was now doing, was not lost on her. Like Akane, she was standing alone in a sea of people, all of whom were streaming around her like she wasn't there, while she stayed rooted to the spot in fear.

Unlike Akane, she prided herself on being able to do what needed to be done, and having a inexhaustible pool of willpower. She could _make_ herself do just about _anything_. She nodded sharply to herself and reached into her core, grabbed tightly, and _pulled_. She immediately felt better, and more at peace with herself. Using her Ki allowed her to calm her mind, and ease her fears, if only a little bit. She had always thought of it as her courage, and in reality, she hadn't been wrong. After all, most of what Ranma did with his Ki was based on his courage and confidence, wasn't it?

She nodded to herself and took a hesitant step forward and noticed a flickering blue light out of her peripheral vision. She looked down and realized she was putting out a battle aura. She hadn't even realized she had done it. She must have focused and shaped her Ki into a battle aura in response to her own fears. In her mind, what was coming up was going to be a battle — a terrible one.

Several people who passed her in the hall looked at her with a bit of worry in their eyes as they passed her. She knew that the people who were looking at her with concern, were Martial Artists. She hurriedly let go of her core and extinguished her battle aura. Then, in shaky steps, she forced herself to walk, as best she could, to the door to Ranma's classroom. Before she could reach out and open the door, it opened on its own, and she found herself face to face with Akane.

Akane blinked at her and for a moment she saw surprise, anger, resentment, jealousy, determination, and even fear flicker across Akane's face. Then Akane pulled a mask over her face and set her expression to one of cheerful friendliness.

Akane's eyes darted into her classroom and rested on Ranma for a moment, then darted back to herself. She nodded. She was here to see Ranma. He was standing next to his desk talking to his friends as he packed up his bag.

Akane set her shoulders and stared at her with determination as she opened her mouth to say something. Inside, she winced as she braced for Akane to come down on her for making a scene at lunch.

Akane's mouth stayed open for a second or so, then her little sister slowly closed her mouth and lowered her eyes. She blinked at Akane, confused. It was unlike her fiery younger sister to be at a loss for words when speaking to her.

Akane opened her mouth and tried again, but again no sound came out. Akane's eyes darted over to Ranma, and she followed Akane's gaze. Ranma was quietly watching both of them now. When she and Akane looked at him, he lowered his gaze in embarrassment.

Akane looked back over at her and raised her hand to gesture at herself, then turned her shoulders towards him, like she was going to point to him, but the gesture died in mid-air.

Akane turned back to face her and sighed as she looked up at her with tired eyes and a weak smile. Her little sister was still hiding behind her mask, but the message she was getting from Akane was more or less clear enough. Akane was both grateful that she had defended Ranma today, and also upset with herself that she hadn't at least said _something_ in his defense. But, in true Akane fashion, her little sister couldn't seem to bring herself to say the words.

She made eye contact with Akane, and slowly nodded that she understood. Akane nodded back, sharply, and looked away. Then her little sister walked forward and resettled the straps of her bag on her shoulders as she did so. Then Akane raised her arms up like she was going to hug her, but stopped, and sighed again. Instead, Akane stepped to her side, and gently put a hand on her shoulder for a brief moment, before she walked away, without ever having said a word.

She pivoted on her heels and watched Akane slowly melt into the crowd, until she lost sight of her, then she sighed and turned back to look into the classroom. She found Ranma still standing by his desk, and smiling shyly at her in his usual easy-going way. She smiled back nervously, and held her hand out to him. He nodded and bounded over to her and took it.

"Ready to go see Ukyo?" She whispered.

He looked over at her, and she could see him wilt a little bit, but he nodded at her and gripped her hand a little more tightly. She nodded back and they set off together.

The students in the halls gave them plenty of room. She would have been hard pressed to answer if they were more afraid of her, or him. But, either way, it was nice not to be crushed in the crowd. Things usually got a little tense on campus for a day or so after she reminded the student body of the kind of things she could do. So she was used to it. Ranma didn't seem to notice at all. He probably expected to be given a lot of space just because of the frequency he was attacked, if for no other reason.

They made their way out of the school, and down the streets that led to Ukyo's shop. They traveled together in silence. It wasn't quite as comfortable a silence as it had been when they had gone to go see Shampoo's Great Grandmother. She kept looking over at him and trying to catch his eye, but he stayed stubbornly looking straight ahead with downcast eyes. She could tell he was ... distressed. All that did was increase her own nervousness. There were _so many_ ways their upcoming meeting with Ukyo could go wrong — including Ranma backing out of it and canceling the whole thing. But there was nothing she could do about it now, she was fully committed to their plan. All she could do now was worry as she walked with him. She wanted to sit down and hug her knees to her chest and rock back and forth and try to calm down, but she couldn't.

She tried to take her mind off her worries as they walked by focusing on what was going on around them. The late afternoon breeze felt nice in her hair, the sun was shining, and Ranma's hand in hers made her feel a little bit better. But, for the most part, she was barely holding it together as the icy core of her worry spread out to her limbs. Her steps got a bit slower, as she felt her icy worry slowing her down. Ranma slowed his pace to match hers, but didn't say anything. After many minutes of that, they finally arrived next to the street Ukyo's shop was on.

"Are you ready to do this?" She asked him gently, as they stopped at the intersection that connected to Ukyo's street. Ukyo's shop could now be seen in the distance. She looked over at him and found him staring in the direction of Ukyo's shop with an unreadable expression on his face. The wind changed to a cooler breeze, which chilled her a little bit more. Ranma didn't seem to notice it. "Ranma?" She prompted him again.

He sighed and nodded slowly without taking his eyes off Ukyo's shop.

"We ... don't have to ... if you don't want to..." She said softly. "We can stop now if you want." She said as she squeezed his warm hand and held it gently in her own chilled hand.

He squeezed her hand back, and shook his head softly. "No, I'm ready, let's do this." He said quietly.

"She may cry. Are you ready for it?" She asked him. She wanted him to be really certain he knew what he was getting himself into.

"I ... I know. I hate this." He replied in a haunted tone.

"I do too." She said sadly. She was both lying and telling the truth. She actually loved that he was willing to finally end things with the rest of the girls for her. But she took no joy in hurting the girls to achieve her goals. She wouldn't feel guilty about it, but it wasn't something she was proud of, or enjoyed doing.

He looked over at her then and smiled a very small smile as he breathed in deeply and squeezed her hand tighter. "I'm ready. What's the plan?" He asked.

"The plan is to let me handle it. It will actually be best if you don't know what's coming, so your reactions will be genuine. No offense Ranma, but your acting skills are terrible." She said gently but with a teasing tone.

He scowled at her. "Hey, I can act when I need to." He protested.

She grinned at him. "Yes, you can, especially when Martial Arts are involved, but when you are dealing with matters of the heart, or Martial Arts aren't involved ... your acting skills are ... lacking." She said with a laugh.

"You won't ... hurt her, will you?" He asked in a scared voice.

She wondered why he was so afraid. It was never an easy or fun thing to tell someone they weren't right for you, and that there was no future between them and you. Well ... it wasn't easy or fun if one wasn't a sociopath, anyway. But there wasn't really anything to fear about the process. It was a necessary evil of the human condition. Dating and romance were some of the most complicated things most people did in their lives.

"I ... can't guarantee that she won't be hurt, Ranma. But I will try my best to not hurt her." She said gently. He looked at her with anguished eyes. "I have come up with a plan that I think will give her an honorable way out of the situation she finds herself, and I really do think the plan will allow her to be happier in her life." She hurried to add. He continued to look haunted as he looked at her.

"But she'll still be hurt?" He asked softly.

"I ... I can't say. I am hoping that the plan, as it is presented to her, will turn her onto a different path. She will have to realize what taking that path will mean for her, though. And she won't be able to take the path and hold on to you." She said in her best soothing tone of voice as she reached for his other hand and pulled him so he was facing her and holding both her hands loosely.

"So ... it would be more like she was giving me up?" He asked hopefully.

She nodded. "Yes, more or less. She may not go for it though, Ranma. If that happens, I don't have a fallback plan besides what you have already done with Shampoo. It will be rough, but that's all I have in reserve." She looked into his eyes as she tried to figure out how committed to this process he was.

She really, really wanted him to go through with it, but she couldn't force him to. But she also had her own week-long deadline staring her in the face and egging her on to get things sorted out. She was afraid of what would happen if things didn't get settled before time ran out. She knew how very easy it would be for everyone if things just settled back into the status quo they had been in. Easy ... for everyone, except her.

She knew that at the center of everything that was happening, was her selfishness. She didn't want to share him, and she didn't want to be constantly fighting for him or wondering if he would pick her some day. She couldn't put her life on hold to wait for him to make a possible future decision.

She wanted him to make a commitment to her, or ... to let her go. She didn't know how she would get over it if he wasn't able to commit to her, and she really didn't want to think about it. But she knew that he was doing everything he had been doing, for her, and only her.

She idly wondered if he would have started the process to commit to Akane, if Akane had ever asked him. Of course, for that to have happened, Akane would have had to admit her feelings for him. She felt a great wave of sadness for her little sister.

It wasn't Akane's fault that Mom's death had messed her up so badly. It also hadn't helped that Daddy had checked out after that, and then all of the mess with the guys at school had started up on top of that. Ranma had walked into her little sister's life with all of that having already happened to Akane, and with his own issues as well. It was no wonder that they fought all the time.

Hell, she had to keep catching herself to stop herself from saying things that she knew could start a fight between them. He frequently did and said things that either annoyed her, were casually insulting, or just careless. She knew he wasn't trying to be deliberately offensive though. He just needed time to figure out the social graces. Time was something she was willing to give him ... if he committed to her.

Ranma finally nodded. "All right, let's try the plan, and hope it works." He said with a pained smile.

"You sure? We can wait until later, if you want." She said quietly.

"I'm sure. It's like you said, it can't keep going on forever. I really hope she goes for your plan though. I'm not sure I can say to her what I said to Shampoo." He whispered.

"What if you have to?" She asked, insistently. She didn't want to corner him on this, but she needed to know what she was getting into before they went in there.

"If I have to ... then ... I will." He said sadly.

"We can always come back and deal with Ukyo later." She whispered.

He shook his head softly. "Who would we talk to instead? Akane?" He asked in a tone she couldn't read.

She changed the subject quickly. She knew as well as he did, that she had no plan for Akane right now. "Ranma?" She asked, and waited for him to meet her eyes before she continued. He looked sad, and uneasy. She pressed on as best she could. Her voice was shaking, though. "Ranma ... do you know how rare it is for two people to meet, fall in love, and be happy together for the rest of their lives?" She whispered.

He shook his head softly. "It almost never happens." She whispered sadly. "Most people just settle for a good enough match, and try to make it work, or they settle for a bad match and just try to endure. Some don't ever find any kind of match at all. Real love, true love, if I can believe what the romance books say, is one of the most rare things in the world. It's more rare than the perfect business opportunity at the right time with funds in hand. It's more rare than straight A's in school, or hitting a home run, or making it as a musician." She said in a voice that rose in intensity as she went on. His eyes widened as she spoke.

"That's why ... that's why I think they are holding on to you so tightly. I think Ukyo, and Shampoo, and even Kodachi see in you a match that isn't just good enough, or one they can endure. I think they see in you a match that is perfect for them, for their own reasons. I don't think they are going to give you up easily, Ranma. And ... I don't blame them." She said with a soft smile.

"What about ... Akane?" He whispered with downcast eyes.

She smiled sadly. "Akane too. I can't speak for my little sister, but it seems to me like she also thinks you are a match for her worth fighting for."

He nodded and drew in a shaky breath. Her little speech seemed to have had the desired affect of steeling his resolve a bit. He now had a better focus for the kind of fight he was walking into.

She looked into his eyes, and sighed inwardly. He was _trusting_ her to help him ends things with all of them, as she had promised. Promises and trust were _very_ important to her. And she knew he knew damn well that as far as Akane went, she had no plan yet. She kept trying to come up with one, but she couldn't. Everything she thought of, hurt Akane badly, and broke their family apart.

He looked hard into her eyes, and she read in those eyes the anguish he was trying to rise above. Ending things with the rest of the girls was hurting him. That ... scared her. Feelings, even weaker feelings than the ones he might have for Akane or herself, were powerful forces. Empathy was both the greatest asset humans had in dealing with each other, and it was also one of the biggest causes of suffering between people. It was very easy to get pulled down into someone else's pain and have their problems become your problems.

"Well ... let's go talk to Ukyo." He said simply. "I trust you, Nabiki." He added in a slightly more positive tone.

She nodded firmly and turned to face Ukyo's shop as she slid her hands out of his and shifted so her arm was linked with his.

"All right, let's do this." She said with as much bravado as she could as they started walking again.


	35. Every Deal Has A Price

Nabiki walked nervously arm-in-arm with Ranma to Ukyo's restaurant door. Not that anyone would know she was nervous if they looked at her. She had her professional mask up and firmly in place. As far as most people were concerned, the Ice Queen was alive and well, and to be feared.

They paused for a moment before they went in. The smells coming from the restaurant were heavenly. She could smell frying dough, sweet ginger, tangy onion, and grilling meats. She hadn't even been hungry, but she was now. Ranma looked over at her, and she smiled and nodded. He nodded back and led the way into the restaurant. As he did so, he slid his arm out of hers discreetly as they ducked under Ukyo's Noren curtains. It didn't surprise her that he did it, but she still didn't like it.

"Welcome, come'on i— Ranma-honey, hello!" Ukyo interrupted her standard customer greeting when she realized who it was as they entered the much warmer interior of the restaurant, compared with the windy streets.

She nodded to Ukyo by way of a silent greeting. Ukyo's eyes met hers briefly, and the young chef gave a micro-nod in her direction, then resumed her attention on Ranma.

_Well, we're off to a wonderful start._ She thought sarcastically.

Ranma walked over to the counter casually and sat down. She was sure it was second nature to him by now. She trailed behind him and watched Ukyo's reactions to him. The young chef's eyes lit up when looking at him. Her body language was open and inviting as she immediately began making him one of his favorite recipes.

She sat down on his left and watched quietly as the little ritual between them played out as she settled into the comfortable padding of the stool. She had seen it before, of course, back when he was engaged to Akane. She understood a little better now how annoyed Akane had been by it. Ukyo was obviously enamored with him. The young chef said it with every motion of her head, every gesture with her hands, and with the shy longing in her voice. How could someone who was engaged to him look at the interaction between them and not feel jealous? She could feel a bit of jealousy burning in her chest, but she ignored it.

Intellectually she knew that Ranma wasn't romantically interested in Ukyo. He was interested in her as the friend he'd had when he was a kid, and as a chef who made amazing food he loved. In a lot of ways, Ukyo was perfect for him. The only problem with their potential romance was that Ranma had Ukyo fixed firmly in his mind as his childhood friend. His male childhood friend. She was sure he knew intellectually that Ukyo was female, and that his childhood friend was romantically interested in him. But force of habit and nostalgia could be powerful forces. Given that Ranma wasn't romantically interested in Ukyo, it was easy to see how he could gravitate to her anyway. Ukyo was a taste of home, both literally and figuratively.

Ukyo's cooking used the same recipes he remembered from when he was very little. And Ukyo was the person he had been friends with back then as well. They had a shared history, a connection that nobody else could have with him, like she had with Riko.

Ranma had grown up on the road, away from his mother, away from friends, away from regular schooling. All he'd had was his father and the constant training. Ukyo was one of the _only_ anchors left to him from his past and his childhood. He had his father as well, but that was small comfort.

She watched the two of them together, and sighed. It was sad and pathetic in a lot of ways, and it was also very sweet, and very heart rending. She could tell from Ranma's relaxed body language, his easy tone and his happy smile and appreciative eating noises, that the small taste of home, family, and childhood that Ukyo represented, was a welcome break for him. If she wasn't already fully committed to the plan that was already in motion, she would have hesitated on executing it. But she was committed. She had to destroy Ukyo's link with him, and Shampoo's, and Akane's, if she was to have any hope at all of getting him to fully commit to her. _I really can be the Ice Queen sometimes. I'm not even sorry_. She thought sadly to herself.

Ukyo had done absolutely nothing wrong. Her only crime was loving Ranma. While the plan was, in a lot of ways, something that could end up being really great for Ukyo, it would still have the end result of removing Ukyo from Ranma's life. Ukyo would have to choose between continuing to chase after him, and taking the new path that was going to be laid out for her.

She decided to go ahead and order something to eat while she waited for the time to start the plan. She tried to catch Ukyo's eye so she could order, but Ukyo had eyes only for Ranma at the moment. So she resorted to waving to get her attention. Ukyo sighed and looked at her.

"Can I get the small mixed-grilled okonomiyaki, please?"

"Only Ranma eats for free here."

"Don't worry, I can pay." She said sweetly. They both knew she had more than one Thousand Yen note in her possession that had come from Ukyo.

Ukyo shrugged and nodded and set to work preparing her order. Despite everything else, Ukyo was first and foremost a consummate and professional chef.

As Ukyo worked to prepare her order, she noticed that while the young chef was making a great effort to maintain her bubbly and cheerful demeanor for Ranma, there was fear in Ukyo's eyes whenever her gaze rested on herself. Ranma seemed to be oblivious to it. He was mostly busy eating what Ukyo had served him, although he did look up and smile at Ukyo occasionally.

After a few moments, Ukyo announced something in a voice she could tell the young chef was trying to keep casual to hide nervousness.

"So ... Ranma-honey ... I ran into Shampoo today..." Ukyo said in a small voice.

"You did?" He answered in a tone she couldn't read.

"Yeah ... she seemed .... upset..." Ukyo said in an even smaller voice. She watched Ukyo carefully and saw that while her attention was on Ranma, her eyes darted in her own direction once.

_Oh, well that's just perfect. OF COURSE she talked to Shampoo, why WOULDN'T she talk to Shampoo? It's not like they have been fighting each other almost the entire time they've known each other._ She thought to herself somewhat bitterly. She watched Ukyo even more carefully and picked out some very subtle tells in her body language. Ukyo was letting her gaze hang on him a little too long. Her hands were fumbling a bit as she worked. Her voice was shaking just a little bit when she spoke.

_She knows_. She thought nervously. _And it is too late for me to abort the plan_. She thought as she glanced quickly at her watch. When she looked back up, she found Ukyo's eyes on her for a moment. The young chef stared at her briefly, then went back to working to prepare the food.

She decided to try to strike up conversation both to help pass the time, and to try to distract her. She just needed to buy a little bit more time before the plan started. "Tell me, Ukyo ... how did you manage to open a restaurant at your age? It is a very impressive accomplishment." She asked.

Ukyo didn't look up from her work as she answered. "My family put up the money to send me to school here in Tokyo, and to open the restaurant." Ukyo said quietly.

"That was very nice of them." She said in a sincere tone.

"And yes, it was a loan, if that's what yer wonderin'. We didn't have as much left in reserve after Genma ran off with the family's okonomiyaki cart." Ukyo said in a defensive voice. She saw Ranma look up with a bit of alarm at Ukyo's tone.

She tried to side step the topic as fast as she could. "Well, I am sure you'll be able to pay off that loan very fast. After all, your cooking is some of the most popular in this town." She said in a forced cheerful tone. Ranma nodded eagerly in agreement. She smiled a tight smile at that. It was very cute how surface-level he was. She was sure he had no idea that Ukyo was on to them, and that she and Ukyo were basically fighting.

"I'm not worried about payin' off the loan. When Ranma-honey marries me, I'll have all the help I'll need to set things right." Ukyo said in a quiet but determined voice.

She locked eyes with Ukyo for a moment and didn't blink. Not only did Ukyo know, it was clear Ukyo was ready for a fight. _Well ... that's just wonderful_. She thought with a sigh. Ukyo looked away first, when the cooking needed tending to.

Ranma had retreated back to his eating. She was glad that he hadn't jumped in to argue Ukyo's stated intention to marry him. He was leaving it to her and her plan, as she had asked. She looked at her watch again nervously. She wanted to bounce her leg up and down nervously on her stool, and had to stop herself from doing it with pure force of will. She just had to stall Ukyo a little longer before the plan should kick in. So she decided to engage with Ukyo a bit more, and to feel her out.

"And what will you do with Ranma once your debts are paid off? What's the big plan?" She asked.

"I ... I don't ... there is no ..." Ukyo replied quietly.

"Are you going to be happy in this little restaurant forever?" She pressed.

"Little?" Ukyo said with a note of anger creeping into her voice.

"Well, you have to admit, compared to some of the larger okonomiyaki places in Tokyo or Osaka, yours is on the smaller side." She said.

Ranma's hand flashed out in front of her face and caught something that impacted his hand hard enough to move it back a millimeter and touch her nose. It was an okonomiyaki. She narrowed her eyes.

"Oops, silly me. Sorry about that. You know how it is in these small places, sometimes things just get away from you." Ukyo said in a sweet voice.

Ranma lowered his hand and dropped the okonomiyaki back on to the grill. "Play nice." He growled.

Ukyo smiled radiantly at him. "I always do, Ran-chan."

She glared at Ukyo. Then she forced a smile on her face and pressed onward. On one level, she actually respected Ukyo for fighting so hard. She didn't really approve of the attempts at physical violence, but she respected Ukyo's fighting spirit. She glanced at her watch again, and suppressed her reaction. The plan would start at any moment.

Ukyo slid a plate with her okonomiyaki on it in front of her, along with various condiments. She glanced down at the grill and saw the one Ranma had caught was still sitting there simmering away where he'd dropped it. At least Ukyo hadn't tried to serve her that one. She also respected that. Even with someone who was basically her enemy, Ukyo was professional about the food she served to her customers. She smiled and slid a Thousand Yen note across the counter to Ukyo, who pocketed it.

Ukyo Withdrew a couple of smaller notes and slid them under her plate for change. She might have been willing to leave the change as a peace offering for all the money she had gotten out of Ukyo. But Ukyo _had_ just tried to fling food in her face. So she absently tucked them into her pocket as she ate. Her focus immediately moved to the food. Ukyo's cooking was, as always, excellent. Her okonomiyaki was savory with a hint of sweet. It was cooked well, and had good texture, and the ingredients were fresh and complemented everything. The sauces were obviously homemade, and they were wonderful. She savored every bite of her savory-sweet meal and almost forgot where she was, and why she was there while she ate.

Ukyo went back to ignoring her as she moved over in front of Ranma at the counter and made a show of cleaning the grill, but in reality she was mostly just staring at him. She sighed. This was just ... not going to be pleasant. Ukyo was—

Her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of a young man in a black suit who entered the restaurant. Ukyo tore her eyes off Ranma and called out her usual greeting. The young man bowed politely and remained standing. He looked around with obvious approval at Ukyo's restaurant and breathed in deeply the aromas from Ukyo's cooking. Ukyo eyed him out of the corner of her eye for a while, and eventually turned and faced him and indicated a seat at the bar.

"Please, have a seat, and let me know when you're ready to order, honey." She said in her usual professionally sweet voice.

The young man smiled faintly and stepped forward and took the seat Ukyo had indicated at the end of the bar. He set his briefcase down on the counter and looked over at the menu on the wall. He smiled and placed his order. "One large Osaka-Dotonbori okonomiyaki, please."

Ukyo smiled at the order, and nodded. "Comin' right up, I love making that one. You want a soda or something, honey?" Ukyo asked as she began preparing the order.

"Of course. It wouldn't be Osaka style without a beer or a soda, now would it?" The man said cheerfully.

Ukyo beamed at him. "It sure wouldn't!"

She smiled softly to herself, then quickly hid it as Ukyo busied herself at the grill and the young man sat and watched her work with a critical eye.

Ranma had finished eating already, and was eying the grill hungrily. She knew he could happily sit at the bar for the rest of the afternoon and eat Ukyo's cooking. She was still working on her own order. She wouldn't be able to finish it. It was far too much rich food for her to eat in a single sitting. She eventually laid her chopsticks down in their rest and gave up after only finishing about a third of it. Ranma looked over at her and she grinned and nodded as she pushed her plate over to him. He beamed and immediately began attacking the food. She smiled at how happy he was. It did not escape her notice that Ukyo scowled at him briefly at his display of being willing to share food with her. It wasn't something people who weren't close did, especially not in public.

Ukyo sighed and finished up the order for the young man and served it to him with her usual flourish. The man grinned and dove into his food with almost as much enthusiasm as Ranma had. Ukyo smiled at the obvious appreciation for her cooking as she wandered back up the grill to be closer to Ranma. She saw Ukyo absently begin fixing another of Ranma's favorites. She was sure Ukyo would continue to feed him as long as he was willing to stay and spend time with her. Poor Ukyo.

Things settled into a comfortable silence after that. The young man in the suit ate enthusiastically, as did Ranma. Ukyo continued to feed him, and she watched it all with the patience of someone who routinely had to play the long game in her life.

Eventually, the young man in the suit slid his empty plate back towards the grill with several Yen notes tucked under it and announced that it had been excellent. He stood up and beamed at Ukyo and bowed politely to her again. Ukyo smiled and bowed back.

"Thank you so much. Please tell your friends about me. Most of my business is by word of mouth." Ukyo said what she assumed was the young chef's standard goodbye to new customers.

"Would you like that to change?" The young man in the suit asked with a wide smile on his face.

"What do ya mean, honey?" Ukyo asked as she leaned against the counter and watched him with an amused smile on her face.

"I mean, I'm a talent scout for Chibo International, the largest okonomiyaki chain in Japan, now with several locations worldwide." He said with a large smile.

"Wait, what?" Ukyo said in a less amused tone.

"You will find my card with the payment for my most excellent meal." The young man said confidently.

Ukyo walked over to the man's plate with a look of mild curiosity on her face. Ukyo probably figured the man was joking with her.

She watched the young chef slide the man's plate to the side and pick up the small stack of Yen notes and pocket them. But her right hand slid something off the top of the stack first. It was indeed a business card.

"Mr. Yamashida, Chibo International..." Ukyo read off the card in a voice that shook with disbelief.

"That's me." The young man said.

"Chibo..." Ukyo said in a shocked voice.

"Surely you've heard of us? I can tell from the way you cook, and your accent, you're Osakan. We're headquartered there after all."

"Osakan, born and raised." Ukyo confirmed as she pocketed the card and stared hard at the man before she continued. "Which is why I know Chibo doesn't hire chefs who are still in high school. Who put you up to this? What's the joke?" Ukyo asked in a voice that was turning frosty. She saw Ukyo's eyes dart to her briefly.

"Oh, this is no joke, Miss Kuonji. And you're correct, Chibo doesn't normally hire chefs as young as you are. But we've received a _lot_ of reports about you, Miss Kuonji ... you wouldn't be related to Hirohito Kuonji, would you, by chance?"

"He was ... my Grandfather." Ukyo whispered.

"He was a gifted chef. One of the best. I had the honor to have some of his cooking when I was very little." The young man said.

Ukyo waved her hand in front of her face like she was trying to wave away his words. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, all right so my name is linked to a famous okonomiyaki chef. That isn't exactly hard ta figure out, sugar. But I still don't believe you. Chibo doesn't hire chefs as young as me." Ukyo said in a more confrontational tone.

She watched Ukyo square off with with young man in the suit, almost like she was getting ready to fight him. She widened her eyes at that. It would be ... bad ... if Ukyo attacked him.

The young man simply smiled at Ukyo and shook his head. "Oh no, you misunderstand, Miss Kuonji. Chibo is not interested in you as a simple line-chef. We want you, the whole package, we want the Ukyo Kuonji brand. We would like to buy out your restaurant, and bring you on as the head chef at the Chibo Ebisu Garden Place Branch in Tokyo to start out. You would be given complete freedom to run the kitchen as you saw fit. You would set the menu, and hire the line-chefs to work under you, and to train them to cook to your specification. Once you have done that, we will take you national, and eventually, international. We would like you and your cooking to be the new face of Chibo. Your style and your brand of okonomiyaki, along with our classic style. We want you to lead our charge to capture the next generation of diners. Will you do it, Miss Kuonji?"

Ukyo's jaw went slack, and she staggered back like she had been wounded to rest her palms up against the rear wall, like she needed to hold on to something real to keep herself grounded in reality. She could see that Ukyo's legs were shaking.

"You what? You want me to what?" Ukyo asked in a tone that was a mix of utter disbelief coupled with abject shock.

She risked a quick glance away from Ukyo to check out Ranma's reaction. As she had hoped, he was grinning happily for Ukyo. She darted her eyes back to Ukyo and continued to watch nervously as she chewed on her lower lip.

"We want to bring you on as the new head chef at the Chibo Ebisu Garden Place Branch in Tokyo, and eventually have you help shape the menu, taste, experience and everything else at Chibo International." The young man in the suit said with a smile.

"I ... I don't ... this is everything I ever ... this can't be real." Ukyo whispered.

"Oh, it's very real. If you'd like to verify I am who I say I am, and that the offer is real, please, call our headquarters tomorrow morning. Here's their number." The young man said as he handed her another card.

Ukyo pocketed it in a numb silence. Then the young chef grinned, and stared hard at him. "Of course! It's an old Osaka game to mess with people by giving them fake business cards ... is that what this is?"

The young man grinned back. "Feel free to get the number from any source you like and call it, Miss Kuonji. I am not playing with you. You're a fellow Osakan, after all." He said sincerely.

Ukyo shook her head back and forth, like she was in denial. Her chest was puffing up with pride though. The young man in the suit was getting through to her. "This can't ... this can't be real. Your offer would be amazing, but..." Ukyo looked over at Ranma, and deflated.

The young chef kept her eyes fixed on Ranma and after a moment spoke again to the young man in the suit. "If I take your offer, and you buy me out and move me into downtown Tokyo ... will I have time to make it back into Nerima for personal reasons?" She asked softly, still with her eyes locked on Ranma.

The young man shook his head softly. "I'm sorry, but no. We need you to start immediately. You'll be working very long hours for at least the first few months. We'll need you to train the new chefs, plan the menu, teach our procurement people how to order the proper ingredients for your recipes, help plan the decor, and many other things. Once that's done, you'll be needed to oversee the restaurant and to help run it daily. After all of that is done, we will be moving you to our original location in Osaka, and you'll be repeating the process there. And then on to the next major location, and on and on and on. We will have you booked solid in Japan for at least a few years, and then you will be needed to visit some of our international locations as well. Eventually, if all goes according to plan, we could free up your schedule and let you pick the restaurant of your choice to run and manage for your day to day operations. Then you will be able to enjoy the perks of your salary and your well earned free time again." The young man said with a soft smile.

"I ... I see." Ukyo said in a small voice, still with her eyes locked on to Ranma.

"Is ... is that a problem, Miss Kuonji? The contract would be a fairly standard head chef contract, and the working conditions will probably be about the same as what you are doing now here as a sole proprietor. Once you work your way up to the national level, we will renegotiate your contract to make you part-owner, and eventually you will be able to join the Board of Directors."

"That's ... amazing." Ukyo said in a voice that was excited but soft. "Could ... could I bring someone with me? Would there be living accommodations for two?" Ukyo asked in a weak voice as she stared at Ranma. Ranma was gazing back at his oldest friend with a kind smile on his face. He seemed to be genuinely happy for her.

"I'm afraid not. Initially you'll be placed in the women's dorms with the rest of the chefs for the Tokyo area while we finalize your contract and get everything setup. Then we'll place you in company housing. I'm afraid it's single occupancy only, for right now. Once you finish the training and setup part of your contract, and pick the restaurant of your choice to run and manage for your day to day operations, you would be provided with housing large enough for a family if you like. That would be in several years, though. I am afraid that is the standard offer from the company. You could try to negotiate it, if you like, but I have very rarely seen the company be willing to renegotiate on standard terms like that. " The young man in the suit said kindly.

This was it, the moment of truth. Ukyo had obviously figured out what was going on. The question now was, could Ukyo give up everything in Nerima, to pursue her dream? Ukyo had to know she was being given a once in a lifetime opportunity. It was the kind of opportunity most chefs who dreamed of making it big never got. It was the kind of opportunity that would make Okonomiyaki-Ucchan a household name in Japan. It had also cost her a fortune in favors and cash to make it happen for her. And, even after she had struck the deal, they had still insisted on sending the talent scout to make sure Ukyo could do what she had told them Ukyo could do. Ukyo had had no idea how important the meal she had just served, had been.

_All totally worth it though, if she goes for this_. She thought to herself as she watched Ukyo carefully, and held her breath.

"I see." Ukyo said in a small voice that shook as the young chef kept her eyes on Ranma. "Can I think about it? When do you need an answer?"

"Tonight if possible. But if you would like to call tomorrow morning and verify everything, that is fine too. But we will need an answer by tomorrow morning, no later than ten."

"That's ... really soon." Ukyo whispered.

"I'm afraid so, Miss Kuonji ... if you can't do it, we at Chibo will be sad to lose you, but we will understand. The position we are looking to fill _is_ a demanding one. Not everyone is ready to step into the role of a head chef." He said softly. That got Ukyo to snap her eyes up from Ranma.

She tensed for a moment and prayed Ukyo wasn't about to attack him. Instead, Ukyo balled her hands up to fists at her sides and almost shouted as she replied. "I'm ready! I am! I've been working my whole life to get where I am, and I can do it, I can be a head chef!" She protested.

"Excellent! That's what we want to hear! Are you ready to sign the contract now? I have a copy with me in my briefcase." The young man said happily as he reached to open it.

Ukyo took a step back and darted her eyes over to Ranma, and shook her head nervously. "N-not ... yet." Was all she said.

The young man in the suit sighed, smiled and nodded. "Of course, of course. You need some time. Well, please do consider our offer, Miss Kuonji, we can only hold the spot open for you until tomorrow morning, then we will have to go with our second choice. We are on a tight schedule. We think you and your skills would be absolutely perfect for the role. We sincerely hope you will accept the offer."

Ukyo just stared at him in slack-jawed shock then nodded once, slowly.

"Here, please take my personal card and call me if you are ready to accept and sign the contract. It has all of the numbers to reach me, at any time of day. I am staying just five minutes away from here, I can be here with the contract on very short notice." He said as he took a step forward and handed Ukyo a card he whipped out from his suit jacket and handed to her with a small bow.

Ukyo nodded again, a little more quickly as she looked at the card and then set it down carefully behind her counter.

The man in the nice suit smiled a kind smile and looked around the restaurant again and breathed the air in again as well as he nodded in approval. "Good day to you, Miss Kuonji. Please do call me." Then he smiled again, and ducked out of the restaurant, and was gone. He'd never once looked at her, or betrayed that he knew of the plan. Because he didn't know. The favors she had called in to make the visit from Chibo happen, had been called in at _much_ higher levels than the on-the-ground talent scout level.

Ukyo stood stock still for several moments and just stared at the doorway with her mouth hanging open. She looked over at Ranma while Ukyo was doing that, and found him looking at herself with wide eyes. She nodded at him a millimeter nod to confirm that that had indeed been the plan. Then she went back to watching Ukyo.

"You set this up, didn't you?" Ukyo finally said in a cold, shaky voice, as she continued to stare at the door. There was no question whom she was speaking to.

"Does it matter?" She asked calmly.

"I don't suppose it does, you have me backed completely into a corner. I don't really have any other options at this point."

"Take the offer, Ukyo. It sounds like a good deal, and it could make you famous as the best okonomiyaki chef in Japan, and rightly so. You could get everything you've ever worked for." She said.

"Almost everything." Ukyo countered bitterly.

"Every deal has a price, Ukyo." She said.

Ukyo fixed Ranma with a stare that was verging on tears. " _Well_ , aren't you going to say _anything_?"

He smiled at her. "I think it's great, Ucchan! You've always talked about wantin' ta be famous and to become the best okonomiyaki chef in the world. It sounds like you're gonna make it, Ucchan, like I always knew you would." He said warmly.

"Don't you care? Don't you understand what it means if I take the offer?" Ukyo asked in a wounded tone as she rounded on him and stared at him. She could see now that Ukyo's hands were clenched into fists at her sides again, and they were shaking.

He swallowed nervously and looked away from Ukyo. He avoided eye contact with herself too. Ukyo stared at him for a few more moments, then prompted him again. "Ran-chan ... do you think I should take the offer? Do you think I should leave and do it?" Ukyo whispered to him.

He looked up at her then and nodded a very small nod, then smiled nervously. "C'mon, Ucchan, how can you pass it up? This is what you've been trainin' for your whole life." He said in his usual confident way.

Ukyo looked away from him as she took a step back, like she had been slapped. She could see that, more than anything else, Ranma's refusal to ask her to stay, hurt Ukyo the most. Ukyo stepped back even further from him and looked down at her grill as she brought her hands up to clasp them tightly in front of herself. The shaking stopped.

"The worst part is ... the worst part is ... Nabiki's right, it _is_ a good deal, and I would be a fool to pass it up..." Ukyo whispered as she stared at her grill. Neither she nor Ranma moved or made a sound as they waited for Ukyo to finish speaking. "Your new fiancée is as clever as they come, Ranma. Be careful with her. She may be too clever for you too. She's manipulatin' you, ya know? What happens if, after she's gotten you to throw everyone away who's ever loved you ... she throws you away too, after she's bored with you? What happens then? Where will you and your father go with no Tendo Dojo to inherit? What will you do then? Think carefully about that. You still have time ... you still have time to ... at least until ... at least until tomorrow morning." Ukyo whispered to him in a heartbroken voice, in the suddenly painfully quiet restaurant.

She found herself looking down at the counter top. She didn't like watching people suffering, and Ukyo was suffering. Ranma didn't seem to understand how much Ukyo was hurting, but she did. She'd gone through the process of trying to give him up, and then thinking she had lost him. She knew _exactly_ how it felt, and it was awful. She clenched her own hand into a fist, under the counter, and told herself to just hang on. She couldn't let Ukyo's misery sway her. _I knew walking in here that this was the likely outcome. It's her or me, there's no other choice_! She berated herself.

"Come on, Ucchan! It's not like that! Honest." Ranma protested as he hopped down off his stool like he was going to go over to her, but Ukyo fixed him in place with an angry glare. Then the young chef turned her gaze to herself for a moment, in silence, and ignored him. She returned the stare calmly.

Ukyo looked away from both of them then, and stared at the floor. "I hope to God she's worth it, you jackass. Get out." Ukyo said in a voice shaking with emotion.

Ranma opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but she shook her head urgently at him and tilted her head at the door. He closed his mouth slowly, and nodded once, with sad eyes. They hurried out of Ukyo's restaurant and were out on the chilly street again a moment later.

As soon as they had cleared the Noren curtains, they both heard Ukyo start to sob.

He looked at her sharply, with disappointment clouding his eyes. She immediately felt like the ground was dropping out from under her, as a feeling of helplessness rose up in her, cold and tight, and centered in her chest. The cold sensation spread out to her arms, and froze her breath as her heart struggled against it. The weight of his disappointment in her was ... palpable.

"You said you wouldn't hurt her." He said quietly, with betrayal in his eyes.


	36. It Never Gets Any Easier

"Try, Ranma. I said I would _try_ not to hurt her." Nabiki said in a shaky voice as she felt tears well up in her eyes. She could _feel_ how disappointed he was in her. It was radiating off of him. It wasn't fair of him to place all of the blame on her! She had asked him if he was ready! She had told him that she had no backup plan if the first one didn't work. She had told him Ukyo might take it badly. She had given him a chance to back out! There was nothing else she could have done and actually still have gone through with the plan.

"Let's just ... let's just go home, all right?" He said softly as he looked away from her and started walking rapidly away from Ukyo's.

"All ... All right." She replied as she fell into step behind him. It was clear he wanted to put as much distance between himself and the sobs they could both still hear coming from Ukyo.

He walked very briskly away from Ukyo's restaurant, and she had to struggle to keep up. He wasn't quite running, but his fast walk had just enough of a long stride to make her need to almost jog to keep up with him. It was amazing how many guys didn't understand that. Well, she hoped he didn't understand, and he wasn't just doing it spitefully to make her hurry to keep up.

After they had covered several blocks, her breathing was starting to become audible as she strained to keep up with him. He looked back at her with an unreadable expression on his face, then slowed down dramatically. When she reached him, he hesitantly reached his hand back towards her and waited until she took it. Then he set off again towards home, with her in tow. She wondered if his hand was a gesture meant to reassure her, or if he simply wanted to help hurry her along.

He didn't resume his brisk pace, though. His stride was much slower now, and she was able to keep up with him without having to strain. She was still embarrassed at how out of breath she was, compared to him. So she used a combination of holding her breath and breathing shallowly through her open mouth to cover how out of breath she actually was.

He didn't look back at her again as they made their way home. He kept his eyes down and forward. His hand in hers was limp and lifeless as well. She could tell he was in distress, but because he wasn't talking to her, she didn't know _what,_ exactly, he was upset about. Was he upset about the plan? Was he upset that Ukyo had cried? Was he upset about losing Ukyo? Was he upset with what Ukyo had said about herself? Was he upset with her for making him promise to end things with the rest of them? Was he ... was he sick of her? Was she too cold and calculating for him? Had Ukyo's words to him made him realize that?

They reached the gate to her family's lands, and she tugged on his hand to get him to stop. He did so, rather reluctantly. But he didn't look back at her. She bit her lip to keep herself from crying, and tugged on his hand again a bit more urgently. He was acting like he was angry with her, and it was causing her to panic. He sighed and looked back at her with cloudy eyes.

"Ranma ... I'm sorry, all right? That was the best I could do to help you end things with her. I tried, I really did try to make it something that would be good for her." She whispered.

He nodded but didn't say anything, and he kept his eyes downcast.

"If you had known that was what the plan was, would you still have gone through with it?" She asked sadly.

He looked at her for a moment, then shrugged. Then, after a moment he eventually nodded a small nod and looked down again.

"Then I'm not sure what else I could have done. If you had known of the plan beforehand, you would have tipped her off, and the whole thing probably would have collapsed. Ukyo can read you really well. Your reactions _had to be genuine_ for her to believe it." She said desperately.

He nodded at that.

"I didn't want her to be hurt. But I told you back when we made our promises to each other, that they would probably cry when you broke things off. There just ... isn't much I can do about that. The only way they could be unaffected when it happened, is if they never had any real feelings for you in the first place. I did my best to protect Ukyo from the pain, and I tried to make it as easy for her as I could. I tried, all right?" She whispered fiercely to him as a tear escaped and slid down her cheek.

She was right on the verge of losing control. She hated, she absolutely _hated_ having him upset with her, and the silent treatment was the absolute worst. She knew, because she did it to people all the time.

She knew she wasn't acting _strong_ right now. She knew that she wasn't living up to the cold, untouchable persona she had crafted for herself. And she didn't care. This was more important to her than appearing strong in other people's eyes.

He looked up at her then with less cloudy eyes, and smiled tightly at her and squeezed her hand. "I ... I know ya did. I just ... I need some time to think, okay? This is hard for me. Can you ... is it all right ... if Doctor Tofu watches you and Akane tonight?" He whispered as he looked away from her again.

Her heart froze. She searched his face for the Ranma she knew. She wanted to see her friend, her guardian, the young man whom she trusted. If it was over, she would rather break it off now, rather than have him punish her for a while, grow more distant, and then break it off. He seemed so ... angry. He was pretending like he wasn't, but that was just making it worse. She reached for his other hand, and tugged on both his hands urgently and eventually got him to look up at her again.

She sucked air in through her teeth and shivered involuntarily. She could see it in his eyes. Her Ranma was still in there, but he was buried under a lot of darkness at the moment. He was faking a smile for her, and looking at her because she wanted him to, but she could tell he didn't really want to look at her at the moment. Her Ranma wasn't gone; she could see in his eyes that the spark was still there, it was just muted, and going dark. Her pride warred with her passion for a second, then she threw herself into his arms and hugged him fiercely as she buried her face into the silky shirt on his chest.

He caught her and held her loosely in his warm arms, even more loosely than he had in the morning. She wanted to sob, but the hot ball of pain inside her was caught in her throat. The best she could do was open her mouth and kind of make a choking sound. After a few moments, his compassion kicked in and he held her a little more tightly and rocked back and forth with her as she shuddered with emotion.

"I'm sorry ... I'm sorry, all right? I tried, I tried to help you end things with her as well as I could. There wasn't anything else I could think of to make it easier!"

He nodded, but didn't speak.

She braced herself and tried to come up with something to say to fix it. "If ... if you want ... you can go back and talk to her ... I'll ... I'll stay here. You can, maybe make it better? If you talk to her? Or ..." She pulled in a tremendous breath and clutched the back of his shirt tightly as she summoned the willpower to say it, "... or ... you could go tell her not to go. That will make her feel better." She whispered to him. She had nothing else left to say, so she just held on to him with shaking hands atop shaking legs, and hoped it wouldn't be the last time she did so.

After a long while, she had no idea how long, he finally whispered to her. "I'm not gonna go see her. You were right, it can't go on forever. I just ... I just need some time, okay? I need ta think ... by myself ... for a while." He said as he stepped back and held her out at arm's length. He still wasn't looking at her.

She sniffled and wiped her nose on her sleeve and nodded. There wasn't anything else she could do. She wanted to ask him if it was over, but she couldn't. Her pride would only allow her to bend so far, and ... she was also terrified of the answer.

He looked at her briefly and smiled a weak, half-smile at her, as he stepped back and let go of her arms. She returned his weak smile with her own fake smile, and let her hands drop to her sides. She wasn't defeated yet, but she didn't know what to do next. She'd never before been in the situation she was in now. She'd never been in a relationship before now ... well, not one where she cared about her partner anyway, not a _real_ relationship. She didn't know how to handle a romantic partner being upset with her. He'd asked for space, and time to think, so that was what she would give him, not that she had a lot of options open to her at the moment.

He stepped back away from her again, and she smiled as bravely as she could, and nodded at him that it was all right for him to leave her. He nodded back, and stepped back again. She couldn't stop herself from trying one last time. "If you ... if you change your mind, I'll leave your bed out for you." She whispered to him. He nodded again without looking at her, then stepped through the gate, and was gone. She didn't know if that had been his way of ending things with her or not. She started to hyperventilate as she tried to fight back the tears as her vision darkened at the edges.

 _We never even went on our date._ She thought miserably as she gave in and finally let the tears escape. She leaned heavily up against the cold wall to her family's lands, slid down it to the cold ground, and cried silently as she covered her face with her hands and propped her elbows up on her knees. She didn't know how long she sat there on the cold ground while she shuddered as she made every effort to let the tears out while she stayed silent. Eventually, some time later, she felt someone's presence next to her.

Normally she would have done something to mask how she was feeling. But considering what she was going through at the moment, and that she was facing the very real possibility that her brief relationship with Ranma was over, she didn't care if someone caught her crying right now.

She looked up to her left and found Doctor Tofu standing next to her, and looking down at her with sympathy on his face. She didn't know why, but she felt an irrational surge of white-hot anger at the sight of him. Something inside her ached. Doctor Tofu was always so kind to her though, it just wouldn't be appropriate for her to vent on him. So, she sealed the impulse away and prevented herself from shouting the hateful words she wanted to shout for him to go away and leave her alone. Instead she just said a single word to him in a cold voice.

"What?"

That was was all she could muster to say in the state she was in right now. She surprised even herself by how angry her tone of voice sounded, even with the controls she had placed on it to try to hide how she was feeling.

It didn't seem to faze him. He smiled down at her and then crouched down to sit next to her. He didn't say anything for a long while. And she didn't care. She wiped her face with the backs of her hands, and in turn wiped her hands on the rough cotton of her school dress. With that done, she looked up at the sky above the rooftops, and watched the last rays of the setting sun coloring the sky, and tried to regain her composure.

"It never gets any easier, does it?" He asked her after a long while.

She didn't know what he meant, and she still didn't feel like speaking, so she didn't reply.

"Would you like some advice?" He asked her gently.

She felt the anger flare up in herself again, and this time she gave into it a little bit. "Didn't you tell me just the other day that you had _no right_ to give me advice about my love life?" She said in a low, dangerous voice as she bit out each word slowly. She was getting close to be being out of control. She knew that. She also knew it wasn't fair for her to direct her anger at Doctor Tofu, but she couldn't seem to help herself.

He was silent for a while after that. When he spoke again, it was in the same tone of voice he always used, but she could tell by his inflection that she had struck a nerve in him. Oddly, though, the inflection seemed to be in deference to herself, and not the righteous indignation she had been expecting.

"You're right, I did say that. And I still have no right to give you advice about your love life. I wasn't suggesting I give you any." He said quietly, in a very gentle tone. "Would you like the advice?" He asked again.

She kept her eyes straight ahead, and pulled in deep breaths as she tried to bring herself back under control. Once she had done that, she shrugged in reply.

He was silent again for many minutes before he spoke again. "What I will tell you is this ... men ... have feelings too. And, sometimes ... men will act emotionally, instead of rationally. That isn't romantic advice, if anything it's medical advice." He said softly as he stood up.

She didn't look at him, or speak. But she did nod. She felt his presence leave a few moments later, and she breathed in deeply, then ran through some breathing exercises to help calm herself down. She then examined what he had told her with the intellect she was so proud of.

 _I have a pretty good idea of what he meant by that. Could it be ... could it be this is just Ranma's way of ... mourning? Maybe ... maybe he isn't upset with me, at all? Is that it?_ She thought hopefully to herself as she stood up and brushed herself off. She was grasping at straws, but it was all she had left. She couldn't just give up. It wasn't in her nature to give up.

She walked through the gates towards the house, and found Doctor Tofu standing there, with his hands clasped behind his back, like a soldier. He had been giving her the space she needed, while still standing guard over her while she sat outside the walls.

She nodded at him and walked past him. She still wasn't ready to speak to him. She decided to walk around the land around the house for a while and try to calm down.

 _Doctor Tofu gave me the space he knew I needed ... just like Ranma asked me for. Is that it? Will it be okay, if I just leave him alone tonight?_ She mused as she walked.

She found herself behind the house near the rear doorway by the kitchen. She thought about going inside and trying to talk to Kasumi, but couldn't seem to make her feet walk towards the door. She sighed and kept moving. She rounded the corner of the house, and froze in the shadows.

Ranma was sitting out near the Koi pond and staring blankly into the waters. His back was mostly facing her where he was sitting, but she could see a small sliver of his face as well. His jaw was set, and his eyes were glassy. He was obviously upset.

She wanted to go sit next to him, and just keep him company, while he worked through whatever he was working through. She even took a step to do it, but stopped herself. He had, specifically, asked her for time to think, and for space. She had to respect that. She sighed and took a step back to retreat to the rear door to go inside, then froze again.

Akane was walking towards Ranma with purpose in her stride. She felt anger stirring in her chest again. Akane stopped and stood next to him and said something to him that she couldn't hear. Ranma looked up at Akane and said something in reply.

Akane then sat down next to him. Very close to him, actually. They sat that way for a while in silence, and she again considered retreating. It did no harm for Akane to sit next to him. If Ranma would allow Akane to sit next to him, but not her right now, that hurt, but it wasn't that terrible.

A moment later though, it all changed. He leaned his head down against Akane's shoulder, and she could see his body shudder. Was he ... was he crying? Ranma didn't cry ... was he just shaking from emotion? She didn't know. What she did know was that he was leaning on Akane for support and not her. Akane tensed up at first, then put her arm around him and held him as he leaned on her. She covered her mouth with her cold hands and leaned back against the rough bark of the tree she was standing under and closed her eyes. It took every ounce of her strength that she had left not to scream in rage and heartbreak at the scene unfolding in front of her.

The dragon inside her let out a growl that turned into a whimper. She forced herself to open her eyes and watched them together for a moment longer, then pushed off from the tree and retreated slowly into the shadows back towards the house. She couldn't watch any more. She was angry and sad at the same time. She wanted to rush out there, kick Akane away, grab him, and shake him, and demand to know why he could lean on Akane for support, but not her! Akane hadn't protected him yesterday, she had! Akane hadn't been able to say she wanted to be engaged to him in front of the family, she had! It wasn't fair!

She felt the tears coming back, as she turned her back on the disturbing scene in front of her and rushed to the back door of the house. She was doing everything she could to keep her composure until she was inside the house. She could feel the pressure of the sobs that wanted to come at the back of her throat, and her eyes burned with unshed tears.

She yanked the door to the kitchen open, and was surprised to find the kitchen empty. There were pots simmering on the stove, but Kasumi was absent. She didn't waste time wondering about it, though. She rushed through the kitchen and into the hallway that led to the stairs. The only thought on her mind right now was to get to her room so she could have some privacy when she lost control.

When she entered the hallway, she froze when she saw Kasumi at the other end of it. Her elder sister was looking out towards the dining room. If the doors to the porch were open, then Kasumi could see Ranma and Akane together. She didn't want to know. Instead she turned towards the other end of the hallway and hurried towards the stairs. She paused again a moment later when Kasumi spoke.

"Let me know ... if you feel like talking." Her older sister said quietly to her back.

She nodded but didn't turn around, then hurried up the stairs to her room. As soon as she was inside the four walls of her bedroom, she let the emotions she was feeling pull her mouth into a wordless open-mouthed grimace as she breathed in heavily and clenched her eyes shut as the tears came again.

She slumped down to the floor right where she was standing, and leaned against the door, and released the controls on her emotions. She slumped even further to the ground a moment later, and lay on her side as her small frame shuddered from the sobs she was allowing to come, even as she labored to keep them silent. The last thing in the world she wanted was for Daddy to hear her and to go charging out to force Ranma to her side. She'd break it off with him before she allowed that to happen.

She also didn't want Ranma to hear her, feel guilty, and come up to see her while pretending things were all right, out of his sense of duty. She lay her head in the crook of her arm and let her tears run down her elbow to the carpet. As she cried, she ran her mind over the problem she was facing, and tried to come up with a solution.

 _He told me that he would have gone through with the plan anyway, even if he had known what it was going to be. He hasn't said anything to me about being upset with me, aside from telling me he thought I had said I wouldn't hurt Ukyo. But he's obviously upset, and at least a little of it has to be because of me. And he's going to Akane for support. So ... what do I do?_ She didn't have any answers for herself.

Then a thought struck her. An awful thought. She curled up into a ball and berated herself as she thought it over. _I am such an idiot. He's going to go back to Akane, and I've already helped clear the field of the only other two serious obstacles that were in Akane's way. Was that ... was that Akane's plan all along? Wait until I did the dirty work, and then swoop in and take him back? What have I done?_ She thought darkly to herself as a small wail escaped her lips and her crying got less quiet.

She stayed that way until she was finally able to wrestle control of herself back from her emotions. She then forced herself to stand up on shaky legs and walked over to her bed and sat down. She just sat there and stared at nothing for a while, as she thought. She had all sorts of plans forming in her mind, but most of them were centered on revenge. In the face of what seemed to be almost certain defeat, she was falling back on what she knew, and that was the Ice Queen.

After a while, she took a deep shuddering breath and forced herself to abandon that train of thought. She stood up, and took multiple slow, deep and purposeful breaths as she tried to center herself. When that was done, she forced herself to move on shaky legs and to run through the Kenpo drills she knew how to do. That made her feel better. She knew the light aerobic exercise was just helping her body release serotonin, which was making her feel better, but it didn't matter. What mattered was she was regaining control.

She had no idea why she was in the state she was in. A week ago, she would never have dreamed of herself being in the emotional turmoil she was in now, and yet here she was. Ever since he had caught her and saved her from falling, and made the connection with her, she had been off center. Everything was changing, inside of herself and outside. She didn't think she could stop everything that was happening, even if she wanted to. What she did know was that she could only ride it out now as best she could. It wasn't in her to give up.

She nodded to herself. If Akane's plan had been to wait until she had done the dirty work, and then to try to take him back, that was fine. It didn't mean he would go back with Akane. And she certainly wasn't going to make it easy on Akane by just giving up. She nodded again then settled into a training horse-stance and focused on herself. After a moment, she reached inside to her core, grabbed hold of what she still thought of as her courage, and _pulled_. 

Once she had hold of the energy inside of herself, she focused on it and worked to make it into a battle aura. She watched her skin, and was happy to see little blue waves of energy begin to dance around on it. She held it as long as she could until her focus slipped and she lost it. Then she did it again, and again, and again. Each time she learned a little bit more about the process, and got better at holding on to it. After a while, she was able to hold on to it, and move around. Then she ran through her drills again, while holding on to her Ki and producing a battle aura. She noticed, as she moved through the drills, that this time she felt like there was a purpose to her motions. She felt that when she was using her Ki, everything she did was sharper, had more power behind it, and flowed together better.

When she had finished with that, she focused again and let her aura slip as she worked on the focusing techniques Ranma had shown her for being able to see other people's battle auras. She was just dropping down into the state of mind he had shown her where she would be able to tap into her Ki to _see_ when a knock sounded at her door.

"What?" She called out in irritation as she worked to keep her focus from breaking.

"It's me, may I come in?" Came Doctor Tofu's voice.

She felt a small surge of anger again, but ignored it. "Yeah, I guess." She called out as she continued to try to hold her focus.

The door to her room opened slowly, and he poked his head in. She saw his eyes rest on her face briefly, before he wisely moved on with his visual scan of her and her room. "Is everything all right? I could have sworn I felt something up here." He said quietly as he leaned up against her door.

She really didn't feel like talking to anyone at the moment, but she didn't want him hovering around her room either, so she let go of the focusing she was trying to do, and sat down heavily on her bed. "That was me. I was practicing my battle auras."

"Ah, I see. Did Ranma teach you?" He asked quietly.

"No, my parents did, actually. He ... just helped me remember what I had learned." She replied in a measured voice. She wanted to get this over with and get back to practicing. She wanted to take her mind off of everything, and forcing herself to focus on her Ki was as good a way to do that as anything else.

"All right. Well, anyway, I came up to see you because I wanted to talk about sleeping arrangements for tonight. May I come in and shut the door?" He asked her in a formal tone.

She looked up sharply at him and nodded. He smiled gently at her and stepped all the way into her room, and shut the door behind himself. Then he came over and sat down on the floor beneath her bed. She backed up and sat on the bed, then she just watched him and waited. She didn't know what to expect, so she didn't dare let herself hope for anything.

When he was settled, he looked up at her with unreadable eyes. "Ranma came to me a little while ago, and asked me quietly if I could watch you tonight, without letting your father know. Are you aware of this?" He asked her gently.

She nodded again and bit the tip of her tongue to keep from tearing up. It was really happening. She seemed to be losing him. Everything she had been doing to try to regain her center now seemed like a foolish waste of energy. She could feel the weight of it all settle on to her. She didn't know if she would be able to get out from under it this time.

Doctor Tofu continued, oblivious to her internal struggle. "You know I don't really approve of your Father's insistence that he sleep with you girls alone at night to protect you. So I am fine with this ... if you are. I can keep it from your father that Ranma isn't watching you tonight, and I am more than capable of watching you in his place. Are you all right with that?" He asked her kindly.

She just stared at him. She couldn't, she just couldn't bring herself to say yes to that, or to nod, or in any way indicate that she _was_ all right with it, because she _WAS NOT_ all right with it. She could feel her lower lip begin to tremble and there wasn't anything she could do about it. Her body was betraying her.

He looked at her with kind eyes for a while, then spoke again. "Would you ... like me to tell him that I can't do it? That if he wants to avoid what your father thinks of as his duty, that he will have to talk to Soun?"

She looked down and put her hands on her knees and pulled in a deep breath. She held it for a moment, then let it out slowly as she shook her head _no_. She was _not_ going to force Ranma to do anything he didn't want to do. And she certainly wasn't going to use Daddy to get what she wanted from him. The very idea was repulsive to her.

She couldn't bring herself to look up at Doctor Tofu again, though. She had managed to keep herself from openly crying, but she knew it was showing on her face now. So she kept her eyes down and waited for him to leave.

A few moments later, she heard him stand up. "All right, Nabiki. I will tell him that I will watch you tonight. And I will keep your father from finding out about it." He said kindly, in a soft voice. Then she heard his footsteps recede from her as he walked to the door. She heard him put his hand on the doorknob, then he paused for a moment. "Oh, and Kasumi told me to tell you that Kuno called earlier. He said he would call again tomorrow morning, though."

She nodded again. She couldn't care less about Kuno right now. He could be on fire and needing someone to put him out, or he could be standing outside to give her a Million Yen. She didn't care. She didn't care about anything right now. She heard her door open and close, and as soon as it did, she laid back on her bed, curled up into a ball, and cried.

Had it been a mistake? Had she ever had a real chance with him? Had he even been honest with her? What if everything that had been happening was really just his revenge for what she had put him through before the hedge maze? She didn't know.

After a while, when she had no more tears left, she stood up robotically out of her bed and went through the zombie-like motions of getting ready for bed. She stripped off her clothing slowly, without any real care or process to what she was doing. Everything ended up in a pile on the floor. She would bathe in the morning. She changed into new lingerie as she popped a few cookies into her mouth from one of her stashes. She didn't feel like facing the family right now to go downstairs for dinner. Then she threw on a robe and walked woodenly across the hall to the bathroom and quickly brushed her teeth and washed her face.

She returned to her room without having seen anyone. In some ways, she was sad about that. She wanted to talk about her fears. But she couldn't bring herself to seek someone out to talk to about it. She sighed and went back into her room and closed the door. She eyed the futon that was still on the floor where she had told Ranma to leave it that morning. Everything that had happened then seemed like it had happened a lifetime ago. She decided to leave it out because she had told him she would. She didn't want to admit, even to herself, that she also didn't want to put it away, because it meant she would be giving up hope. She couldn't do that until she knew _for sure_ that it was over.

She thought about putting on pajamas over her lingerie, but couldn't summon the energy to do it. _It doesn't matter anyway, nobody is going to be sharing my room with me tonight_. She thought bitterly as she curled up into a ball on her bed under her blanket and clutched her pillow to her chest. She seriously thought about getting out of bed and grabbing Ranma's pillow from his futon. It would smell like him. But that was just so pathetic, it made her want to cry just thinking about it.

So she settled for her own company, her own pillow, and her own smells. She had already cried out all the tears she was going to be able to summon for the night, so there was nothing left to do but go to sleep. She found her mind unusually difficult to shut down, but eventually she managed, and could feel herself drifting off to sleep. She was already forgetting what it had been like to have him hold her while she slept.

  


***

  


_That night she dreamed restless dreams of darkness, anger, loneliness and despair. Ranma featured prominently in most of them. In some of them he let her fall to the ground when the balcony had broken, and then stood over her and laughed with Akane in his arms. In others he left her standing alone in the hallway outside his classroom, never meeting her when he had promised to do so, while everyone pointed and laughed. In another dream he got up from sleeping with her and said he'd rather sleep outside than with her. And in one sad dream he stood silently in her room while she slept, and just watched her for a while before going to sleep next to her and holding her hand. That one was the worst one, because it was what her heart wanted desperately to happen_.


	37. I Really Did

[There is a forum for this story. I may post things you might find interesting there, occasionally. Forum is at: https://www.fanfiction.net/topic/186761/144854128/1/Discussion  
This is kind of a double update. You'll see why as you read, it all needed to go together.  
THANK YOU to those of you who are reviewing, or sending me PMs with your feedback. YOU are the people I am posting this for, because you are actually helping me achieve my goals with this experiment ^_^]

  


Nabiki realized she was awake the next morning, because the pain came roaring right back. She had mercifully gotten away from most of it while she slept, but it hadn't gone anywhere. She felt like hell. She had a lead weight sitting on her chest left over from last night, and the muscles in her arms and legs were actually sore from trying to keep herself from shaking last night. She felt emotionally drained. Her eyes and throat ached from crying, her cheeks felt raw from rubbing them, and she was cold.

She wasn't cold physically, but inside she could feel the ice she was so familiar with, creeping back to freeze her. The ice had been a constant companion for so long, that she had been used to it ... until Ranma had caught her, and everything had changed, and she'd started to thaw inside.

Now, the feeling of the ice growing back wasn't like returning to the way she was before. Instead, it felt like she was being detached from her humanity, and herself. She wasn't indifferent to the ice any more. She had liked feeling the warmth of human attachment again after so long.

And she had _liked_ cuddling with Ranma, and having his warmth in her bed. It wasn't even a sexual thing for her. OK, it was kind of a sexual thing, she had to admit. But, mostly it was a human thing. Like Ranma, she had no real experience with her sexuality. But she had really enjoyed the very small, tentative steps she had taken with him to explore it. Her feelings for him, finally realized, had given her back a sense of herself which she had lost somehow. It was something she hadn't felt in a very long time.

She hadn't even realized it had been missing, until he had made the connection with her. She felt a tear trickle down her cheek as she thought about it all. She wasn't frozen enough inside yet to stop the tears ... not yet anyway. And while she wasn't physically _cold_ she could feel the difference in her bed when he wasn't with her. Her own body heat was a small candle in the wind compared to the furnace that was his body heat.

She didn't want to do anything today. She didn't want to see anyone, or ... _feel_ anything. She shifted in her bed to roll over and go back to sleep as she seriously thought about staying home from school for the day and claiming she was sick.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she couldn't complete her roll, because her right hand was caught on something. She made her sleepy mind focus as she forced her eyes open and looked at her hand. It was hanging off the bed. She leaned over the edge of the bed, and gasped.

Ranma was lying asleep in the futon she had left out for him, sleeping soundly. Her hand wasn't caught on anything. Ranma was holding it while he slept!

 _Wait, that was a dream ... wasn't it?_ She thought in disbelief as she laid slowly back down in her bed.

She looked back over the side of her bed in disbelief. It was indeed Ranma. And this time there was no Akane draped over him! She lay back again and tried to control her breathing. She wanted to do two things at the same time. She wanted to throw herself into his arms, and beg him to take her back and to promise him she would do anything to make that happen. She also wanted to roll off the bed and elbow him in the face and beat him to within an inch of his life for making her go through what she had gone through last night.

 _If he's here, in my room, and holding my hand, after he arranged for Doctor Tofu to secretly watch me last night ... then he HAS TO care. If he was only worried about doing his duty and guarding me, arranging for Doctor Tofu to watch me would have satisfied his honor. Even if he had still felt duty-bound to watch me personally, nothing but his own feelings would have caused him to hold my hand._ She thought to herself as a rising tide of excitement lifted her spirits. She knew her breathing was getting more rapid, and her pulse was quickening. She had a pretty good feeling that he had to be awake now.

She leaned back over the side of the bed, and found his eyes seeking hers out. She saw all over his face that her Ranma was back. Her Ranma who was her friend, and her guardian and the person she trusted, was back. The darkness in his eyes had cleared and his eyes looked normal again. It wasn't just in his eyes either, it was written on his face with the easy-going smile on his face, and the interested tilt of his head that was no longer listless and wandering. He seemed genuinely happy to see her.

"You came back!" She whispered to him, in an excited voice that she was proud only shook a little bit.

He nodded. "Yeah, I finished thinkin' faster than I thought I would, so I came to bed." He said sheepishly.

"You came back!!" She whispered fiercely as she sat up in bed and stared at him intently. She wanted very much for this to be real, and not another dream. She bit her lower lip to test if it was a dream or not. The small pain she felt was worth it when he didn't dissolve into a dream illusion.

She saw his eyes travel down her body, then urgently back up to her eyes, where he locked them nervously. What was he ... she looked down and blushed. She was only wearing her underwear, and they were actually rather skimpy. She had forgotten about that. She thought about covering up, then smiled softly when another idea came to her mind. She knew it probably wasn't the wisest idea, but she was feeling very unbalanced at the moment, and didn't care.

She smiled impishly at him as she pulled her blanket all the way off herself. Ranma dutifully kept his eyes on her eyes the entire time. She slid her legs off the bed while she maintained her grip on his hand, then sank down next to his bed in the walkway between her bed and his. She was doing her best to keep her movements smooth and leisurely. She was fighting her urge to throw herself at him, wrap him in a death grip, and cry hysterically. He looked up at her with panicked eyes as she picked up the corner of his blanket and slid softly into bed next to him.

She pulled the blanket all the way over both of them when she did so, including their heads. Then she let go of his hand and snaked her right arm under his neck, threw her left arm across his chest, and draped her left leg across his legs. For a moment after she did that, she experienced pure ecstasy. Her legs actually quivered and she got goosebumps on her skin as the pleasure hit her.

The desire had been building in her for so long now to hold him and be in bed with him, that to finally be able to do it again was beyond a relief and more than satisfying. She let out a soft, contented sigh as she relaxed into him. He was so warm! Inside his bed with him, it was easily five to ten degrees warmer than her own bed had been. She could easily have gone back to sleep right away, but she wanted to be with him at the moment. She could feel parts of herself straining inside as she tried to figure out how to be with him like she wanted to be. She wanted more and more and more of him. She didn't know how to do that with the relationship she had with him, but she was determined to try to figure out how.

Ranma, for his part, lay shock-still and as straight as he could make himself. He kept his hands rigidly at his sides. His shirt had ridden up a little bit when she had climbed into bed with him. She was really enjoying the feeling of his bare skin against hers, even if it was just her tummy, arms and legs. She wanted to rub herself up and down against him, but stopped herself. There would be plenty of time for that kind of thing later, if he committed to her.

For the moment, she wanted to get a few things straight with him. She had taken care of her urge to throw herself into his arms, now she needed to take care of the urge to smack him. "You can't do that to me, ever again!" She whispered to him with real heat in her voice as she buried her face into his neck.

"Do what?" He whispered back, obviously confused and a bit flustered.

"The silent treatment! It's terrible! It's almost the worst thing a guy can do to a girl." She replied in a strained tone. This was harder than she had thought it would be. But she was determined to do it anyway.

"But ... I wasn't tryin' ta give ya the silent treatment. I ... I just needed to think, that's all. You ... you thought I was mad at you?" He asked hesitantly.

She nodded into his neck and fought back tears. She had no idea if they were tears of anger, sadness, frustration, or happiness. What she did know was that nothing felt more right to her than being in his arms and sharing his body heat with him. **Nothing**.

"Aw man, I'm sorry! I ... that's just what I've always done when I was growin' up with Pop, ya know? Whenever I was stuck on something, I would go off and think about it until I got ... unstuck, I guess." He said quietly as he hesitantly brought his arms up and encircled her waist.

He smelled strongly of his flowery cedar scent. It was intoxicating. The combination of the heat and tactile sensations from being in bed with him, and the heady smell of him, was making her dizzy. She both loved it and was also somewhat uneasy with how strongly he could affect her. She had no intention of stopping, though.

"But, you seemed so angry ... and I saw you leaning on Akane..." She whispered to him as she tried to get her emotions under control.

"I ... I _was_ angry. But ... not at you. I was just ... angry, ya know? Mostly at Pop, I guess. Ukyo never woulda been hurt like that, if Pop hadn't made that stupid deal with her dad. I guess I was also mad at myself for lettin' it go on as long as it did. I didn't mean to hurt her." He said quietly.

It had not escaped her notice that he had neatly sidestepped her bringing up that he had leaned on Akane. She decided to let it go, for now.

"You hurt me too." She whispered to him.

He didn't say anything to that for a little while, but he did tense up under her. She was growing concerned that something was very wrong, and was about to prompt him again, when he finally whispered a response. "I didn't mean to."

"Well you did!" She whispered back, a little more strongly.

"I ... I'm sorry. You can hit me if ya want." He said in a small voice.

She lifted her head up from his chest and looked him in the eyes with exasperation. "I don't solve my problems that way, Ranma." She whispered to him.

"Don't worry, I can take it." He said in a voice she could tell he was trying to make jovial.

She raised an eyebrow at him and frowned. "I know you can. I still don't want to hit you." She said simply.

"Well, how can I make it up to you?" He whispered to her.

"You can ..." she trailed off without a good reply to that. She leaned back away from him a little bit to look into his eyes in the dim light under the blanket then sank back down into him softly as a suitable punishment for him came to mind. "You can ... tell me _why_ you did that to me. We're supposed to be dating, even if we aren't _actually_ engaged to each other. I don't understand why you pushed me away like you did, and hurt me like that. _I_ should have been the one you turned to when you needed support." She whispered to him as she held him tightly.

She didn't have anything else to say after that, so she just squeezed him more tightly and snuggled into him while she waited for him to respond. It took him a while, which she liked to think was mostly due to his sensory overload from her being in bed with him in her underwear.

But eventually, he did reply. "It's ... it's just ... _all_ I've _ever_ known is people who're enemies, or family, ya know?  I don't ... I don't know how to handle people who aren't ... either of those things. And the only family I've had until I came here, was Pops ... and you've seen what he's like."

She nodded into his chest, but didn't reply yet. She was content to stay warm in his arms and wait while he worked it out. She was more than content, actually. She was _happy_. She could feel herself relaxing more and more as the stress left her and the ice inside receded when confronted with his body heat. The warmth from him was working its way into her tired and stressed out body, and soothing her while she lay next to him, where she felt she now belonged.

Ranma continued in a pained voice. "Ukyo's the oldest friend I have. I knew her back when I was _really_ little. Aside from Pop, I think she knows me better than anyone. I didn't know she was a girl back then, but we were still friends. Havin' her back was ... nice." He said sadly.

She tensed up at that but didn't say anything. "It wasn't like I wanted her to be chasin' me, or nothin', it was just ... nice to have someone around from back then, ya know?"

She thought about Riko, and nodded. She did know. She still didn't say anything, though. After another few moments of silence he spoke again, quietly.

"Its just ... man, I wish you woulda just hit me, I dunno how to say stuff like this ..." He said in a plaintive tone. She smiled at that, but stayed silent. She was glad the form of punishment she had chosen for him was teaching him a lesson. He waited for close to a minute before he continued again. "I dunno why I feel like I need ta do that when I'm stuck. I dunno why I didn't wanna ... I was just ... I dunno, I needed to just go think about stuff, lots of stuff." He said quietly.

"Did it at least help? Did you make any decisions?" She whispered to him.

He didn't move or say anything for a while, so she picked her chin up to look him in the eyes again. He stared back at her for a couple of heartbeats, then slowly nodded while holding his breath.

She decided to take that as a good sign, considering what he was doing at the moment. She didn't know what, exactly, he had made decisions about, but she had to hope she was part of them. Neither one of them had much more that they were willing to voice to each other after that, but she wasn't done cuddling with him. She stayed wrapped around him for quite a while. She knew time was passing just because her room was getting brighter as the sun broke out over the rooftops and the dawn fully arrived and shone through her window. Ranma just held her patiently and waited for her to make the next move.

She knew that between the two of them, she would be the one more worried about getting to school on time. He would be more than willing to be late or even miss school if she provided him a reason to do so. She sucked in her lower lip and seriously considered trying to keep him in bed with her all day. She held on to that very happy thought for several moments, then released her lip and sighed. She knew that if she tried that, Daddy, Akane, and probably Kasumi would eventually get involved, and things would get complicated and awkward.

So, with a sigh, she pushed up from him so she was bracing herself with her right elbow under his neck, and her left she straightened to support her weight on his chest. Even with her putting about half her full body weight fully on him, he didn't seem to notice it. She didn't weigh a whole lot, but she knew if she did something like that to Riko or Kasumi, they would yelp in pain. She looked into his eyes and smiled. He smiled back nervously and kept his eyes locked on to hers. She knew that laying in bed with him in her underwear was something that Kodachi or Shampoo would do, and that he was very nervous about it.

One one level, she regretted being so forward with him. But on another level, she was kind of enjoying punishing him by making him squirmy with her body. That was the least she could do to pay him back for last night. She grinned at him and shifted her body weight so she was briefly in a push-up position with her arms planted above his shoulders, and her legs straddling his. He didn't move a muscle, and he kept his eyes rigidly locked on hers. She looked into his eyes for a bit longer, then slowly sank down so she was laying fully on top of him, and wrapped her arms around his neck slowly.

He flinched as she settled into him and again lay with his arms rigidly at his sides. She was growing a bit tired of his nervousness though. So she decided to hurry him up by deliberately shifting her weight quickly to the side. She started to slide off him like she was going to fall. Sure enough, his arms whipped up and caught her around the waist, and arrested her fall. She smiled at that.

"I can always count on you to catch me if I fall, can't I?" She whispered to him as she lay her head down on his chest softly. He didn't say anything, but she felt him nod his head. She smiled again, and enjoyed being in his arms for just a little bit longer. The hurt she had gone through last night now seemed like a distant memory, and like something that hadn't been as serious as she had thought it had been at the time.

It was time to get up. She seriously considered asking him to stand up with her in his arms again, like she had the other morning. She decided against it for two reasons. She didn't want to treat him like a toy any more than she wanted him to treat her like a toy. And, she also was a bit worried that she would pop out of her underwear if he moved too rapidly with her in his arms. She wasn't embarrassed for him to see her body, but she knew they weren't at that point yet. So she sighed and pushed herself up off him again.

He immediately released his arms from around her. She smiled at him and then rolled off him and stood up as the blanket fell away around her. She looked down at him and caught his eyes traveling up her body briefly before they landed on her eyes again, and didn't move. She winked at him and walked over to her desk chair where she had left her robe, and wrapped it around herself. When she turned around, he was standing up as well.

"So ... are we OK? Do ya ... do ya forgive me?" He asked quietly.

She tilted her head at him and looked at him quizzically before she walked over to stand in front of him. She looked him in the eyes for several moments, then sighed and leaned into him. He wrapped his arms around her immediately. Now that she wasn't just in her underwear, he seemed to be much more willing to hold her again. She rolled her eyes at that. A moment later she answered his question with one of her own.

"Do you understand that what you did last night hurt me too?"

He nodded.

"And do you understand why it hurt me?" She asked. He didn't move for a few moments after that so she leaned back to look into his eyes. He stared at her unblinking for several moments, then shook his head. She sighed and leaned into him again. "All right, that's fine, we can talk about that later on our date today. You ... still wanted to go on our date today, didn't you?" She whispered to him. He nodded enthusiastically at that.

She smiled and stepped back away from him a bit so his arms were extended but still holding her. "While we're at it, we can work on getting you to actually speak more." She said teasingly.

He smiled at that. "I'll try." Then he looked down for a moment, then back up at her with worry in his eyes. "You sure you're OK?"

She smiled at him and stared at him in silence for a while before she shook her head and looked down at the floor. "No Ranma, I'm not OK. If you want me to be totally honest with you, here it is ... ever since you caught me when the balcony broke, I haven't been OK. Everything is changing, and it is kind of scary." She whispered to him. She felt his arms tense around her as she said it.

She looked up again at him and raised one of her hands in front of his face and pointed at his nose to emphasize her point. "But, if you _promise_ me that you won't _ever_ do to me again what you did last night, then yes, we're OK. Deal?" She said in a forced cheerful voice.

He nodded earnestly and smiled at her. She sighed. "I mean it, Ranma. I _can't_ go through that again. It was awful. Talking, and even hitting you wouldn't fix it, if it happened again." She said as she playfully balled her hand into a fist and thumped him on the chest.

He looked down at her fist with comically wide eyes. "Did a butterfly just land on me?" He asked teasingly. She growled at him and thumped him again with her other hand. "See, it makes you feel better, doesn't it? It's a good thing for me that you hit like a girl, though." He said with a grin. She knew what he was doing, and it made her break a little bit inside. He was trying to draw her out, and get her to fully let go of what had happened last night. She loved that he understood that, even if he couldn't seem to say it. And he was right, she was still hanging on to some of her hurt from last night. She growled at him and thumped his chest with both her fists a little bit more strongly.

"There you go, keep it up and eventually you'll be able to close a door with that strength." He said softly. She growled deep in her throat and hit him again, and again, and again with her fists as the dam inside her broke and the rest of the hurt came out as she gasped in pain. When she didn't feel like she had any more hurt left to get out, she slumped against him with both her fists trapped between her body and his, and let out a shuddering breath as the wave of emotion passed.

"I ... I thought I'd ... lost ..." She whispered to him.

"And _I_ thought you said you didn't want to hit me." He said as he leaned back from her and rubbed his chest comically and grinned at her.

She frowned at him. She wasn't in a joking mood. He read her mood quickly and moved to wrap his arms around her and held her gently. She heard him open his mouth and start to make a sound like he wanted to say something, but nothing came out. She stayed in his arms for several minutes as she recovered from letting go. He held her patiently while she did it. 

_For a guy who has very little experience with social skills and other people, he seems to be_ very _intimately acquainted with how to deal with emotional pain_. She thought to herself. Considering how he grew up though, that wasn't all that surprising to her.

She finally stepped back from him and broke his grip on her as she let out a shaky breath and looked into his eyes. "Are you ready to start the day?" She asked him. He nodded.

"All right, well I call first for the bath today. I'll see you downstairs in a little while for breakfast?" She asked. He smiled and nodded again.

She walked across her room to her door, opened it, stepped into the hallway, and closed it. She pulled in a deep breath, and let it out slowly as she leaned back against her door. Why was _everything_ so convoluted concerning him? She could smell the welcome smells of Kasumi's cooking wafting up the stairs and that brought her out of her reverie. The smell of good food cooking reminded her that she hadn't eaten a proper meal since lunch yesterday. She was suddenly looking forward to breakfast quite a bit.

She marched quickly across the hallway, and pulled open the door to the bathroom and closed it behind herself with a quiet click. She hung her robe on the hook next to the inner door for the bathtub, then opened that door as well. She paused briefly when she saw that Akane was already in the tub.

Her younger sister looked up at her from the tub. She could see Akane's eyes traveling down her body and taking note of her skimpy underwear. Then Akane's eyes slid off her and back down to the water. She sighed and decided to just ignore it. She undressed and showered without speaking. Akane was still in the tub when she was done. She wasn't going to let Akane being there keep her from the inviting warm water, though. So she stepped quietly into the tub and sat down on the other side. They both met each other's eyes briefly, then they both looked at the surface of the water again.

 _Well ... this is awkward_. She thought as she tried to come up with something to say to Akane. _I am pretty sure she doesn't know Ranma slept in my room last night, and she doesn't know I saw her with Ranma either. So ... what, should I ask her about the weather?_ She asked herself sarcastically.

Akane surprised her by going first. "You all right?" Her little sister asked in a small voice. She raised an eyebrow and looked over at Akane, who was looking at her sympathetically.

"I'm ... fine, how are you?" She asked slowly in reply.

Akane smiled softly. "I'm ... okay, actually ... thanks." She said in a somewhat happy voice.

 _What is she ... oh, of course_! She thought as she tried to figure out Akane's angle. _As far as Akane knows, Ranma was upset last night, and pushed me away, and went to her for comfort. I guess I would be feeling pretty good about that too, if I was her_. She mused as she forced a fake smile on to her face.

She decided not to say anything to correct Akane's perceptions, and just sat quietly in the warm water with her, in a companionable silence. Akane got up and left first. As her younger sister passed her on her way out, she briefly laid her hand on her shoulder kindly and looked into her eyes as she smiled at her.

"Let me know, if you want to talk." Akane said softly. She smiled back at her and nodded. Akane walked away with a nod of her own.

 _What is it with both of my sisters offering to talk to me lately? Its not like either one of them have everything together, either._ She thought to herself sardonically as she rose from the tub herself. She quickly toweled off, and put her robe back on as she tossed her lingerie into the laundry and exited the bathroom. She found Ranma standing there holding his bathing stuff as he chatted softly with Akane, who was standing very close to him, and smiling shyly. She smiled at both of them as she passed them and headed to her room. She had no idea what they were talking about, and didn't care. She and Ranma were okay for the moment.

She dressed for school quickly, and exited her room to pop downstairs for breakfast. She was ravenous. She was just sitting down at the table, and had started eating, when she heard wet footsteps clomping down the stairs. She leaned her head towards the doorway and saw Ranma in female form tromping towards the front entryway. She set her breakfast aside and got up from the table to follow him curiously.

She joined him in the entryway, and found him rummaging in his school bag and muttering to himself.

"What are you—" She began to ask.

"Forgot my soap." He answered in his female voice. She smiled at that and his obvious frustration with himself. It was no fun to be cold and wet as a girl. She turned back to go to the breakfast table, and was halfway through the door, when the phone rang in the entryway. She looked back as Ranma looked up and reached over to grab it.

She smiled as she remembered what Doctor Tofu had told her last night, and tried to warn him.

"I wouldn't answer that, if I were you." She said as he picked up the phone.

He covered the mouthpiece with his small female hand, and tilted his head at her in confusion. "Why not?" He asked as he placed the phone next to his ear and said hello. Almost immediately he held it away from his head again.

"That's why." She said with a laugh as she saw his face drop into a frown of disgust.

She couldn't hear most of it, but she heard enough to hear that it was indeed Kuno, calling to make the date with his _pig-tailed girl_ whom he had bought the phone number for, from her, with Ranma present. She wondered if Kuno even realized he was calling the Tendo home.

Ranma's expression got more and more horrified as he half-listened to Kuno's ravings. Then he slowly removed the phone from his ear, and reached down and put it back in the cradle as Kuno's voice kept going until he hung up. She was having to lean up against the wall to stay on her feet, she was laughing so hard. God, it felt _good_ to laugh after last night! Her sides ached, and she was having to gasp for breath, but it felt _wonderful_!

Ranma eyed her with a decidedly unamused expression on his petite female face, then stuck his tongue out at her. "If he calls here for me again, I am putting you on the phone with him." He groused.

She nodded but kept laughing. She didn't care if she had to deal with Kuno, she had never had any trouble keeping him in line.

Just as she was winding down and Ranma finished getting the soap out of his bag, the phone rang again. They both looked at each other. She grinned and waited.

Ranma sighed and nodded. "Fine I'll answer, but you're dealing with him." He said as he reached over and picked up the phone. "STOP CALLIN' HERE, KU— ... oh, hi Ucchan..." Ranma said softly as he immediately changed his voice from the loud and angry confrontational tone to a much more conciliatory one.

She stopped laughing and smiling, and simply watched as he nodded his head softly and kept repeating the words _okay_ and _yes_ over and over again as Ukyo said whatever it was she was saying.

He hung up the phone a moment later by setting it down softly and looked over at her with a haunted expression in his eyes. "She ... wants me to come see her, as soon as possible. She ... she said it's okay if you come too." He said.

She nodded. "Well good, because I would have come anyway. Meet me here in a few minutes? You need to finish bathing, and I need to finish eating. I'll have Kasumi pack up your breakfast for you as well, all right?"

He nodded and jogged out of the entryway and back up the stairs. She watched him go then spun on her heel and did exactly as she had said. She popped her head into the kitchen and was about to ask Kasumi to pack up his food, but before she could open her mouth Kasumi handed her two bundles with a smile.

"Here, both your lunches for today, and Ranma's breakfast." Kasumi said softly with a smile. They smelled strongly of her wonderful cooking.

She smiled back and set them down on the table before she quickly threw herself into Kasumi's arms and hugged her fiercely. Kasumi hugged her back just as fiercely. "You about ready to talk yet?" Kasumi whispered to her.

"Almost." She replied in her own whisper.

"I'll be ready when you are." Kasumi said as she held her out at arm's length and looked at her approvingly. Then her older sister winked at her and pointed out the door. "I'd get moving if I were you. He should be done bathing and getting dressed in a minute or so. You have to be hungry." Kasumi prompted her.

She nodded, picked up the bundles, pivoted and jogged out of the kitchen, and went back to the dining room where she bolted down her breakfast in record time. She was just setting down her empty bowl when Ranma poked his head into the room and smiled at her. "Ready?" He asked.

She nodded and stood up as she gathered the bundles into her arms. She walked quickly over to him and handed him the bundle that contained his breakfast. "Here, Kasumi wrapped your breakfast for you. I'll put the lunches in my bag." She said as she moved to quickly do just that before she stood up and shouldered her bag to follow Ranma out the front door as he slid it open. Ranma finished opening the door, then froze. She craned her neck to look around him, and sucked air in through her teeth in surprise.

Shampoo was standing in the middle of the walkway that led to their front door, with Doctor Tofu standing behind her and off to the side. Doctor Tofu was watching Shampoo intently with hard eyes as he stood in a very military posture. Ranma stepped hesitantly through the front door, and waved her to stay back behind him. She nodded and kept to the doorway.

"You told me the truce didn't end until later this morning, so I let her through. She said she just came to talk." Doctor Tofu said in a neutral voice.

Ranma nodded as he walked slowly over to Shampoo, who was standing motionless and watching him carefully. The Amazon girl was wearing a simple outfit of white silk pants, a pink silk shirt with long sleeves and a traditional Chinese clasp near the neck, and a simple flower pattern in pink and red. Shampoo's hair was tied back into a ponytail, and she wasn't wearing makeup. Both of those things were unusual for Shampoo.

As Ranma approached her slowly, Shampoo carefully turned her hands over from where they had been resting loosely at her sides, to show that she was unarmed. Ranma nodded and stopped walking once he was within a few paces of her.

"What do you want, Shampoo?" He asked in a voice that wasn't warm, but wasn't cold, either.

Shampoo just stared at him for a moment. She could tell that the young Chinese girl was fighting something in herself. There was no way this visit was sanctioned by Shampoo's elder. Finally, Shampoo spoke.

"Ranma ... things is ... getting bad soon. Great Grandmother no wait any longer."

"I know, the truce ends today." Ranma said calmly.

Shampoo shook her head. "Is more than that. Many bad thing to be happening soon. Great Grandmother very serious."

Ranma simply shrugged. "I ain't afraid of her."

Shampoo walked slowly towards him with her hands raised palms forward and out to her sides to show she wasn't attacking. He flinched backwards, but didn't retreat. Shampoo reached him and grasped his hands loosely. "Please ... please come back China with Shampoo. You no have to love Shampoo, just ... please come back, satisfy honor, and nobody has get hurt."

"I ... I'm sorry, Shampoo, I ... can't do that." He said in a weak voice.

"Marriage just for honor! You come China, we do wedding, then Great Grandmother no longer care what you do. After few weeks, we find reason leave, and you come back Japan. Shampoo okay with this. No have love me, no have stay with me. I no want see you get hurt!"

"I'm not gonna get hurt, Shampoo."

"I no want see you family hurt!"

"Nobody is hurting anyone, Shampoo. I won't let them."

"You no understand! You no understand! You very strong, but you no can win everyone! Great Grandmother will bring many many fighter here. You cannot win all them together!"

"I'm not scared of that old ghoul, and I'm not scared of anyone she brings to fight me. I'm sorry, Shampoo, the answer's still no."

Shampoo sank slowly to her knees as she dropped his hands and encircled his legs with her arms as tears started to fall down her cheeks and she lost all semblance of control. The young Amazon's desperation and panic were naked on her face now as she clutched at him and begged him in a rising voice that was reaching hysteria levels quickly. "Please! Please listen me! I trying help you! I no want see you hurt! I no want see you family hurt! Please, PLEASE come back with me China! It be fake wedding, I no tell anyone. You protect everyone that way, and nobody be hurt!" Shampoo begged frantically as she sobbed against his legs. Doctor Tofu took a few steps forward to assist, but Ranma waved him away.

"Shampoo, c'mon, let me go. I said no." He said sternly.

Shampoo looked over at her sharply then, and switched over to Mandarin and begged again. "请......你明白我的意思。請告訴他！逼他明白了！他不明白這將是多麼糟糕！"[1-4]

She looked blankly at Shampoo as she did her best to plaster a mask of confusion and non-comprehension on her face. But she was worried. Shampoo was frantic. If Shampoo was _this_ worried about the impending end of the truce, it couldn't be good.

Shampoo raised her voice and continued in rapid-fire Mandarin. The young Chinese warrior could obviously express herself much better in her native language when she was upset. "這將是一場戰爭！他可能會被殺死！你......會被殺死。請！請,迫使他明白！" [5-9]

She widened her eyes and nodded to Shampoo in a sub-millimeter bow. Shampoo was fully hysterical now and had tears streaming down her cheeks as she begged for her to intervene. If Shampoo was this worried, that was _bad_ news. But she still wasn't willing to tip her hand and reveal her secret skill. She _did_ want to know how the hell Shampoo knew she could understand her, though. _Is she just guessing, or does she **know**?_ She thought as she widened her eyes comically and shook her head as she shrugged to present body language to Shampoo that she didn't understand her. Shampoo narrowed her eyes at her and bit out an insult in an exasperated voice. "你是個傻瓜。" [10]

Ranma was reaching down gently to Shampoo now, and trying to get her to let go of his legs. He wasn't able to hold his stern posture with Shampoo so obviously upset. Shampoo eventually let Ranma remove her arms from him as she got her breathing back under control. The young Amazon then sighed deeply, looked up at Ranma with anguish in her eyes, stood up, and walked out of their front gate without another word or another backwards glance.

She watched Shampoo go as she tried to figure out how to warn Ranma, while Doctor Tofu eyed her with suspicion. _Wait, Doctor Tofu understands Mandarin as well, doesn't he?_ _That's perfect! He'll translate for Ranma what Shampoo said, and I won't have to give up my secret!_ She thought as she waited for him to do exactly that, while she worked to keep her face an unreadable mask. She had a strong idea that Doctor Tofu now also suspected she understood Mandarin as well. _Oh well, he's pretty good about keeping secrets, it should be fine. It isn't exactly a topic of conversation he would bring up anyway_. She thought as she watched him to see what he would do. Ranma turned and looked at him as well.

Doctor Tofu smiled and translated for Ranma, just as she had known he would. "She said that you don't understand how bad the end of the truce will be. She said it will be a war, and that you may be killed, and that Nabiki probably _will_ be killed. She was desperate, and I think she was sincere. Do you want me to go bring her back?" It hadn't escaped her notice that he had left out the parts about Shampoo insisting she understood her and therefore could translate her more articulate words in her native language. _Doctor Tofu's crafty when he wants to be._ She thought with respect as she watched Ranma absorb the news.

Ranma looked back at her, then over at Doctor Tofu, then back at her. She shrugged. She was relying on him and Doctor Tofu to protect her from the Amazons. She had to trust to their judgment on this. Ranma looked at her for a few more moments, then shook his head. "No ... there isn't anything that bringin' her back will do. I'd still have to go with her and marry her to get them ta stop, and I ain't doin' that." He said quietly.

"Understood." Doctor Tofu said with a small smile as he nodded at her then leaped up to the top of the roof of their house and was gone. She assumed he was resuming guarding the house. With that settled, there was nothing left to do but continue on the errand they had set out on.

"Ready?" She asked Ranma softly as she moved to stand next to him.

He looked over at her and shook his head softly then looked down at the ground. "It's about to get bad with the Amazons I think. I don't think they're bluffin', Nabiki. Are ya sure ya wanna go with me? It's gonna be bad at Ucchan's too." He said softly.

She set her spine firmly and nodded. "Where you go, I go. I can't think of anyone I would be safer with, than you, Ranma." She said with confidence. She meant it to. Doctor Tofu was probably better than Ranma, but she knew that Ranma would do everything he could to protect her, and that was all that mattered to her.

He nodded at her, and held his hand out to her, and she took it gladly. They set off at a fast walk after that. Ranma spent the entire walk there eating his breakfast out of one hand, and sweeping his eyes everywhere looking for threats. She spent the entire trip bracing herself for dealing with Ukyo again. She could only imagine how last night had been for Ukyo. If her night had been rough, Ukyo's had been probably the worst that the young chef had ever endured in her entire life. _This won't be easy_. She thought sadly to herself as they arrived faster than she would have liked.

They turned the corner on to the street where Ukyo's restaurant was, and immediately spotted the young chef standing outside her restaurant. Ukyo was standing with her hands clasped loosely behind her back as she stared towards the rays of the rising sun peeking out from behind the rooftops. A mild breeze was tugging on her hair and causing the long coat of her chef's uniform to flutter about. Ukyo called out to them without turning to face them. "Good morning you two." There was a hard edge to Ukyo's voice, but there was also an element of exhaustion and other darker emotions weighing it down as well.

She looked at Ranma, and he nodded at her. They walked together towards Ukyo, hand-in-hand. Ranma made no effort to hide what he was doing. Weirdly though, she kind of wanted him to. She could tell just by looking at Ukyo, that the young chef was not in a good place.

When they were close enough to Ukyo to speak without raising their voices, she immediately noticed the tear streaks etching Ukyo's cheeks. There were also dark circles under her eyes. Ukyo had clearly been up all night crying, soul searching, and making her decision. She didn't flinch away from the heartache she was indirectly responsible for, but she wasn't proud of it, either.

Ukyo dragged her gaze from watching the sun rise, to rest on Ranma, and smiled weakly at him. "Do you remember, Ranma? Do you remember when we were kids and we used to get up early and help our fathers with chores, and then we'd watch the sun rise together while eating okonomiyaki?" Ukyo whispered in a shaking, miserable voice as she smiled a fake smile at him.

"Yeah ... I remember." Ranma said in a quiet, reserved voice.

"I've been waiting for you to come back and take your place next to me at the morning table ever since you and your father left me behind. You never came back." Ukyo said with a catch in her voice. It was clear the tears were very near to the surface for Ukyo at the moment.

"Ucchan ... I—"

"Let me finish! You owe me at least that much!" Ukyo snarled abruptly.

Ranma snapped his mouth closed and nodded quickly as he looked down sadly.

"I know you didn't make the promise to marry me. I know it was your horrible father, and my horrible father who did it. I _know_ , okay? I know that it wasn't your idea. I also know that you didn't even realize I was a girl back then. Well, I know now anyway. But you know something? It doesn't matter. I loved you back then. I did. I _loved_ you! You were my friend, my constant companion, and someone I could trust. You were nice to me, you played with me, and you were _so_ interesting. You were _perfect_. You were strong, and focused, and driven, and I knew, I just knew that we were destined to be together." Ukyo said bitterly as tears streaked her cheeks again.

She found herself starting to tear up a bit as well, but clamped down on it. Now was _not_ the time to bow to empathy for Ukyo or any of the other girls. So she set her face in stone and just watched.

Ranma, she could tell, wasn't on the verge of tears, but he was very sad. He didn't seem to be able to bring himself to raise his head to look at Ukyo at all.

"We were destined to be together, and I still think that's true. I think you're making a horrible decision, and you're allowing yourself to be manipulated by her." Ukyo said in a low, angry voice.

She narrowed her eyes at Ukyo. She didn't like where this was going.

Ranma still hadn't looked up again, but he shook his head softly in disagreement.

"This ... this girl ... comes out of nowhere, takes you from her sister, and suddenly she has you ending things with Shampoo and now me? Just because? Just like that? I don't buy it. She has some hold over you, Ranma. She can't be trusted. I should just ... I should just ... " Ukyo growled as her hand tightened on one of the small throwing spatulas in her bandoleer. 

Ranma moved immediately to stand in front of her with his hands spread wide protectively. He still hadn't looked up at Ukyo, though.

"Come on, Ucchan, don't ... please." Ranma said sternly.

Ukyo sighed mightily and let her hand fall loosely to her side as she locked her eyes on Ranma. "Look at me. Look at me, you coward! You're responsible for this, at least have the courage to face me!" Ukyo shouted at him.

Ranma nodded and dragged his eyes up. He immediately flinched back when he saw the heartbroken look on Ukyo's face, and the tears streaming down her cheeks.

Ukyo held his gaze for longer than was comfortable before she finally spoke again in a whisper. "If you never had any real feelings for me, why did you string me along?"

"I didn't! I—"

"YES YOU DID! All you had to do was just tell me that it could never happen, and I would have moved on! Instead, you named me your cute fiancée and started spending time with me, coming to eat my food, and hanging around me. That certainly made it seem to me that I had a chance. Why do that to me?! Why not just be kind and tell me right away that I had no chance?! WHY COULDN'T YOU DO THAT FOR ME?! WHY DID YOU GIVE ME FALSE HOPE AND SET ME UP TO SUFFER?!"

"I ... I'm sorry, Ucchan, I—"

"Don't! Don't call me that any more, you jackass! You have no right to call me that anymore! It's Miss Kuonji to you, Mister Saotome." Ukyo said darkly.

Ranma hung his head and nodded meekly for a moment, before he dragged his eyes up again to look at Ukyo, as she'd ordered. Ukyo fixed her with a dark stare then. She met it calmly.

"Well, are you happy? You're getting what you wanted. Your two families have taken everything from me now." Ukyo asked bitterly.

 _I can't show weakness right now. Ukyo wants to have it out now, and to have closure. That much is obvious. And she's decided I'm the villain here. Well, so be it. I have played that role before, I can certainly do it again. I am not going to bring up the fact that I am also responsible for giving her the opportunity of a lifetime at great personal expense. That won't help her get the closure she needs right now._ She thought calmly as she met Ukyo's stare and shrugged as she put a small smile on her face to give Ukyo what she wanted, someone to blame. As angry as Ukyo appeared to be, she would have been nervous, if Ranma wasn't with her. But he was, so she could afford to play the villain role like Ukyo wanted her to.

Ukyo swung her gaze back to Ranma and seemed to break a little bit more. "WHY HER?! WHY IS SHE THE ONE WHO FINALLY GOT YOU TO MAKE A DECISION?! WHAT'S SO SPECIAL ABOUT HER?" Ukyo screamed, barely in control any more, as she looked back at herself and balled her hands into fists.

"I should knock that smug smile off your— " Ukyo said angrily as she took a step towards them.

Ranma twitched his hands up into a guarding position to protect her if needed. Even with everything else going on, he was watching to protect her.

Ukyo sighed and nodded as she stepped back. "It's over. Maybe Akane still has a chance. But I don't." Ukyo looked over at her and smiled bitterly. "Good game, Tendo. You outmaneuvered me masterfully."

She nodded in reply and dropped her fake smile. "If it helps at all, the Tendo family will stand up for you, and back you up fully should anyone ever question your honor. I give you my word." She said carefully.

Ukyo looked blankly at her for a moment, then jerked her head into a brief nod of respect before she resumed her attention on Ranma. Ukyo looked at Ranma longingly for a much longer moment, then took a deep breath and unclenched her hands as she pivoted and took a step away from them. But Ukyo paused after only a step, and asked over her shoulder, "Can I give him a goodbye kiss?"

"Thousand yen." She joked.

Ranma's childhood friend nodded and spun around and lunged for Ranma, and threw herself into his arms. Ukyo's hair splashed around him like the sea breaking around a rock. The young, heartbroken, chef simply held on to him for several moments and sobbed as she twined one hand into his hair, and twisted the other into the fabric of his shirt over his chest. He held her loosely, and uncomfortably. She was suddenly very uncomfortable as well. She didn't like watching people suffering. She also wasn't wild about anyone else being in Ranma's arms. She decided to endure it though, if it meant that Ukyo really would give him up. She took several steps backwards, out of respect, and just watched as she forced herself to clamp down on her jealousy.

Ukyo kept her face buried into his chest for many long moments as she cried. She heard her mumble several times, "I loved you, I really did. I loved you, I loved you, _I loved you!_ "

Ranma nodded and continued to hold her loosely and awkwardly. Ukyo pulled her hands up and reached for his face. He allowed her to pull his head down, and she rubbed her cheeks up against his and whispered something to him in between sobs. Ranma nodded to whatever she had said. Ukyo held his face next to hers, cheek to cheek, and sobbed for a long time. Her tears were obviously those of someone who had no hope left.

She knew that for sure, because she had experienced those tears not that long ago, when she had thought she had given Ranma back to Akane in the hedge maze. She looked away in respect for Ukyo's shattered heart.

She looked back when she heard them shifting position. Ukyo had pushed his head back gently and was resting her forehead against his as she sniffled and tried to get herself under control. She could just see a little bit of Ranma's face, and she could tell he was just barely holding it together. Warring emotions of anguish and panic were dancing around on his face.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, but was probably only a minute or so, Ukyo pulled him down with hands that were shaking uncontrollably and met his lips with her own. The beautiful young chef kissed him softly on the lips, once, twice, then again and again, softly and sweetly, but with increasing urgency. Ukyo's kisses increased in tempo as she reached up and dug her hands into his hair and pulled him towards her fiercely as she opened her mouth and drew him in. Ranma stumbled forward as Ukyo closed her eyes and kissed him hungrily. It did not escape her notice that when Ukyo had pulled him forward, Ranma had recovered his balance by wrapping Ukyo up in a proper embrace that was no longer awkward.

She watched them kiss, and didn't look away this time. There was respect for personal anguish, and then there was watching someone try to devour the guy she wanted to marry.

Ranma did his best to show that the kiss wasn't his idea, and that he wasn't enjoying it. But that was hard for him to do while he was holding Ukyo. She took some solace in the fact that he wasn't holding Ukyo as tightly as he held herself, and he hadn't picked Ukyo up either. He did kiss Ukyo back, though. She bit her lip and endured it. If Ukyo went away after this, and let him go, then suffering through one kiss would be worth it.

Ukyo kissed him for far longer than even a _we'll-never-meet-again_ farewell kiss would be expected to last. Ukyo had her mouth open, and was kissing him with what were obviously years and years of pent up emotions. He was kissing her back less urgently, but still with some obvious emotion behind it. Ukyo had stepped into his stance and was pressing her entire body hard up against him as she worked her jaw and kissed him frantically. It was clear that Ukyo felt she had nothing to lose, and she was pouring everything she had ever felt into this last chance effort to sway him. It dawned on her that Ukyo wasn't just kissing him _goodbye_ , she was trying to get him to kiss her _hello_. The young chef slipped her right hand down to the small of his back, and her left she wrapped around his neck strongly with the elbow around the back of his neck as she pulled him into her desperately.

The dragon inside her was screaming at her to break it up before Ranma gave in and decided to go to Ukyo instead. Before she had to do anything though, Ukyo seemed to wilt, and slowly, very slowly, pulled herself back from him. Their lips parted with a wet smacking sound, and Ranma's oldest friend held on to his arms loosely. Ukyo stared into his eyes silently, as Ranma stood there and visibly tried to recover from what had just happened. Finally, Ukyo slid her hands down his arms and grasped his hands. She swung them back and forth a few times, almost playfully, as she cried silent tears. Then she slowly stepped back and let him go. His arms dropped immediately to his sides. Ukyo's stayed outstretched for a handful of heartbeats like she was waiting desperately for him to lunge for her. When he didn't, Ukyo slowly let her hands drift to her sides and took a deep, shuddering breath.

"I loved you, I really did. I hope you're happy with her, Ranma, I really do. This is farewell. Maybe we'll meet again someday, but I doubt it. Have..." Ukyo had to pause as her tears overwhelmed her ability to speak for a moment before she could continue. "Have ... a good life, Ranma. Goodbye." Ukyo said in an anguished voice. Then the young chef spun around on her heel, picked up a bag that was sitting outside her restaurant, turned a sign around on the door of her restaurant, and walked off without a backwards glance or another word, with her head held high. She and Ranma both watched her leave, and then stared at the empty street she had disappeared down, long after she had gone.

She looked over at the door and found a hand-written note scrawled on a piece of paper in Ukyo's handwriting. It announced cheerfully that Ukyo was closing the restaurant, and her loyal customers should seek her out at the Chibo Ebisu Garden Place Branch in Tokyo. It ended with a smiley face. It would have seemed like a very cheerful, successful note — except for the tear splotches all over the paper that had smeared the ink.

She looked back to Ranma and waited and hoped that he wouldn't go running after Ukyo. Ranma's lip was trembling as he turned to face her. He unballed one of his hands and opened it to show a thousand Yen note crumpled up in it. Ukyo must have slipped it to him. She sighed and stepped forward and closed his hand around it. "Keep it, as a memento. She was your friend."

He nodded and shoved the note into his pocket then continued to stare in the direction Ukyo had disappeared in, without speaking to her. "Are you ... are you okay? Are you mad at me?" She asked carefully, giving voice to her fears.

Without speaking, he answered her by reaching back his hand for her. She let out the breath she had been holding and eagerly stepped forward and took his hand. He pulled her slowly towards himself, and wrapped his arm around her in a hug from the side as he continued to stare in the direction Ukyo had left, and let out a shuddering sigh. Then he turned to face her, wrapped her up in a hug with his other arm, and lay his head down on her shoulder. A moment later she felt tears dampening her shoulder and the nape of her neck as she held him while he shuddered and dealt with the enormity of what had just happened.

  


———————

1\. "请......你明白我的意思。 (Qǐng...... Nǐ míngbái wǒ de yìsi. — Please ... you know what I mean.)"

2\. "請告訴他！ (Qǐng gàosù tā! — Please tell him!)"

3\. "逼他明白了！ (Bī tā míngbáile! — Force him to understand!)"

4\. "他不明白這將是多麼糟糕！ (Tā bù míngbái zhè jiāng shì duōme zāogāo! — He does not understand how bad it will be!)"

5\. "這將是一場戰爭！ (Zhè jiāng shì yīchǎng zhànzhēng! — This will be a war!)"

6\. "他可能會被殺死！ (Tā kěnéng huì bèi shā sǐ! — He may be killed!)"

7\. "你......會被殺死。 (Nǐ...... Huì bèi shā sǐ. — You ... will be killed.)"

8\. "請！ (Qǐng! — Please!)"

9\. "請,迫使他明白！ (Qǐng, pòshǐ tā míngbái! — Please, force him to understand!)"

10."你是個傻瓜。 (Nǐ shìgè shǎguā. — You're a fool.)"


	38. The Mind Games Were Intense

Nabiki was both sad and happy. She was also physically straining. Ranma was leaning on her and trying to deal with the aftermath of Ukyo's departure. Unlike previous times he had leaned on her, he was actually putting a little bit of his weight on her now. He wasn't _that_ much larger than her, but he was much heavier with muscle than she was. Still, she was very happy that he wasn't pushing her away this time. So she just stood there with her arms around his waist as his weight pressed down on her shoulders, and breathed in his flowery-cedar scent, and waited in his warm arms until he was ready to move on. His body heat felt nice pressed against her in the cool morning air, especially since the girls' school uniform was a dress. She was happy to stay pressed up against his warmth and his silky Chinese shirt for as long as he wanted.

He lifted his head up a few moments later and leaned back from her a bit as he took his weight off her. He kept his arms around her, and looked into her eyes as he leaned back. He didn't say anything, but he didn't have to, she knew what he was going through. She dropped all of her masks and let him see in her eyes and on her face what she was feeling for him. He nodded and lay his head back down on her shoulder as he let out a long sigh. He didn't put his weight back on her though. She squeezed him tightly and tried to help him feel better. She would be just as miserable as he was if she had needed to say goodbye to Riko forever. He responded by squeezing her back just as tightly. She sighed into him. She felt guilty about it, but she was enjoying that he was in her arms and seeking comfort from her.

A moment later he flexed his arms and lifted her off her feet as he buried his face in her neck. She was glad he couldn't see her face, because she was grinning now. She thought about asking him if he was ready to move on yet, but decided to let him set the pace. When he was ready to move on, he'd let her know. She didn't have to wait long. A moment later he gently set her down and whispered to her with his face still buried in her neck. "I'm sorry."

She knew that what he was sorry about was showing _weakness_ in front of her. She sighed inwardly at that and just reached up and stroked his hair as she smiled at him. She didn't reply directly to what he had said, because she had nothing positive to say about the warped value system his father had given him. She could help him adjust it to come into line more with normal social values, if he committed to her. It wasn't a project she could just pick up and resolve in a weekend.

He smiled nervously at her, then looked over her shoulder at the sign Ukyo had left behind. He then looked back into her eyes before he spoke. "Would it be a bad idea ... if we went to see her at her new restaurant sometime?" He asked in a small voice.

She smiled tightly at him. "What do you think?" She asked.

"Yeah ... all right." He said softly as he turned away from Ukyo's shuttered restaurant. She could tell by his body language that he wanted to get away from Ukyo's closed restaurant, and the lingering smells of her cooking, as fast as possible. He needed to move on, and she was more than happy to move on right beside him.

She stepped right next to him and held her hand out for him. He looked down at her hand and nodded as he grasped it tightly and started walking. She matched his pace easily, and they walked in a comfortable silence in the cool morning air, as they made their way to school.

As they walked, Ranma's eyes drifted over to her occasionally, but for the most part he kept his eyes moving while he scanned the tops of buildings, and every other possible ambush location for threats. She knew he was worried about the Amazons. Shampoo's warnings couldn't just be ignored, even if they had just been a ploy. She didn't think they had been, though. She had been sure that Shampoo had been sincere earlier, and Doctor Tofu had agreed. She hated to admit it, but she was afraid of the Amazons.

Based on what Akane and Ranma had told her of them, and what she had seen with her own eyes, they were dangerous. Sure, when Shampoo had been trying to woo Ranma, they had been on their best behavior. But apparently that had only been because Shampoo had managed to convince her elder that Akane was an honorary Amazon.

Now that Akane was no longer officially engaged to Ranma, and the _honor_ of _Amazon_ _status_ hadn't been given to herself, things were back to how they had been when Shampoo's elder had first arrived in Japan. She remembered clearly the old woman flatly telling Daddy that Ranma's prior engagements didn't matter, and that they would just have to broken. The Amazons didn't care about any law but their own, and they were good enough to back up their bluster. Only other world-class fighters like Ranma could stand up against them.

_But if Ranma is worth three or four Shampoos, or even a dozen ... what happens if they send several dozen, or a hundred?_ She worried as she sneaked a glance over at him. He caught her looking and smiled at her kindly as he squeezed her hand reassuringly. She knew that he was probably going out of his way to make sure that she knew that although he was upset, he wasn't upset at her. _At least my little talk with him this morning got his attention._ She thought with no small amount of satisfaction.

She decided to shelve her worries and just trust him. Even if the Amazons did attack with a hundred fighters, they would still have to _catch_ him, and he was very fast. He could get her to the safety of Daddy, Mister Saotome and Doctor Tofu. Between the four of them, even a hundred Amazons would have a hard time getting to her and her sisters. She wished she was as strong as they were, so she could help fight. But she wasn't. She was not, however, without resources. And she would call them up and use them if it came to that. If it did, though, then things would have gotten much more serious than they were at the moment.

She sighed and deliberately derailed her current thought process, and decided to focus on the rest of the day. Today was the day she would be going on her date with Ranma. She had to admit that she was excited about that. Ranma had already taken Akane out, and now it was her turn. She had been dying to ask Akane how Ranma was on an official date, but obviously she couldn't do that.

She hoped that he had at least a few things up his sleeves that would be different than just hanging out with him at school. But she didn't want to get her hopes up. _Hell, even if he is just the same as he always is, at least I won't have anyone else vying for his attention. And we won't be around anyone he will feel he needs to hide his feelings from, so those two things together will make the date worthwhile._ She thought happily as they arrived at the school.

They made their way at an easy pace into the building their classrooms were in. They stopped in the hallway outside his classroom, across from the door, by the window. He spun to face her and held her hands loosely. She smiled at him and leaned in to his body heat and just stood there for a few moments enjoying that. On impulse she lifted herself up on her tiptoes and planted a tiny kiss right at the base of his jaw under his ear where it joined to his neck. He stiffened a bit but didn't say anything immediately. She leaned back from him and smiled softly with a twinkle in her eyes. She was feeling a bit light-headed and very devil-may-care.

"I thought we couldn't do that until the week was up?" He asked her quietly.

She grinned at him. "No, what I said was, if _you_ want to kiss me again, you knew what you had to do. I never said anything about me kissing you." She said happily. That wasn't what she had told him the other night when her control had slipped and she had tried to lean in and kiss him for real, but she just didn't care at the moment.

"Man ... I really have to pay attention to what you say, don't I?" He asked with a hint of a laugh in his voice.

"You have no idea." She said happily as she slid her hands back so they were only grasping his fingertips.

"See you at lunch?" He asked.

"Of course. You want me to pick you up, or do you want to be gallant and pick me up today?" She said with an easy lilt in her voice.

"I'll ... I'll come get you, sure." He said with a bit of a flush creeping up the base of his neck. It amused her greatly how easy he was to embarrass.

"All right, then I'll see you then, Ranma." She said with a soft smile as she let go of his hands and moved to walk past him and continue to her classroom.

"Wait." He whispered to her urgently as she reached his side.

She looked over at him with quiet amusement. "What, forget your lunch or som— _oop!_ " She started to say but was interrupted when he darted in and swept her up in a hug, and picked her up in the process. She found herself in his arms facing the doorway of his classroom.

Her body clenched in surprise, but that only lasted for a half a second, then she let herself melt into him as she rested her chin on the silky shirt covering his shoulder. She breathed in his subtle cedar and flower scent and smiled. It wouldn't do for him to know just how much she craved exactly what he was doing. At the moment nothing, absolutely _nothing_ made her happier than being held by him. She was sure that if he knew that, he would get flustered and not do it as much. So she just enjoyed it and sighed with happiness.

It wasn't all that usual at all for students to show such open displays of affection for each other in Tokyo schools. Her eyes followed several passing students who eyed them with various levels of appreciation or disapproval. She didn't care. None of them would dare cross her, and they were all afraid of Ranma. She lay her head down on his shoulder and found her eyes resting on the doorway of his classroom. Akane was standing in the doorway and watching them with an unreadable expression on her face.

Her little sister was posed with her right foot in the doorway, and her shoulders turned towards the classroom. But Akane's left hand was clutching the door frame as she craned her neck to look at them. She couldn't read Akane, but if she had to assign an emotion to Akane it would have been either confusion or longing.

She sighed and buried her face in Ranma's shoulder and took her eyes off her little sister. There just wasn't anything she could do about Akane right now. _Not that I have a plan for dealing with her ... at all_. She reminded herself bitterly. She was officially out of time. With Shampoo and Ukyo dealt with, only Akane was left. Kodachi had never had an official claim on him, and she knew he wouldn't want to formally break things off with her. She would ask him about it just to make sure, but she seriously doubted he would want to do that. If anything that would just lend legitimacy to Kodachi's delusions. That, plus she had a feeling Kodachi wasn't going to want to be around him in the future much anyway.

Ranma set her down a few moments later and buried his face in her hair. His warm breath tickled her neck and ruffled her hair. She heard him inhale deeply and assumed he was smelling her hair. _It's a good thing I washed my hair this morning_. She thought to herself with a bit of her old flippancy creeping back in to her thoughts. She was finally starting to unclench from the terrible stress she had been under for the last few days. She could see the light at the end of the damn tunnel now. She just had to figure out a way for Ranma to break things off with Akane, and then it would be over. _Sure, just a small thing like getting Akane to be all right with Ranma leaving her, but staying in the same house as her. No problem. And right after that I'll solve Cold Fusion for kicks_. She thought sardonically to herself as Ranma stepped back and looked into her eyes.

He smiled shyly at her as he let his arms drop from around her. She could tell that turning his back on the hallway had helped his courage enormously. She filed away that little fact for possible use later.

"See you at lunch." He whispered to her as he turned slowly and walked into his classroom. She stayed rooted in place while she tried to control her body's _strong_ response to him. He turned back once and smiled at her again as he reached the doorway. She returned the smile softly, and then he was gone.

She pulled in a shuddering breath and hurried up the hallway towards her own class as she tried to ignore the urgent signals her body was sending her to go jump on him and do things that would, _for sure_ , get her thrown out of school. Every single student in her path rushed to quickly get out of it. News of her actions yesterday were still fresh in everyone's minds, and she was sure they didn't want to get on her bad side at the moment. She smiled at that thought.

She reached her own classroom and found Riko and Yui in their usual place by the window, drinking their morning coffee and chatting. She sighed with relief to find a safe harbor to hide in while she pulled her emotions back under control. She walked straight up to Riko and leaned her whole body up against her oldest friend and laid her head down on Riko's shoulder as she sighed mightily and closed her eyes while to tried to get her legs to stop shaking.

"Oh wow, you've got it bad, don't you, Kiki-chan?" Riko said happily as she set her coffee down in the window sill and pulled her into a side-hug.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. On an unrelated note, if you move I may fall over." She said with a repressed smile and her eyes still closed.

"Mmm hmm. Right..." Riko purred in a knowing tone. "I bet that I could take a certain item of clothing off you right now and throw it against the wall and it would sti—"

"Riko!" Yui interrupted in shock with her mouth and eyes opened wide.

"I'm just saying ... I bet our little Kiki-chan feels a bit like Monsoon season is starting early." Riko said with a grin.

"Riko! I ... I can't even look at you. What is the _matter_ with you?!" Yui said as she buried her face in her hands.

She could feel herself blushing but refused to rise to Riko's bait. She knew the teasing would never end if she did. Besides, Yui's mortification on her behalf was amusing to watch.

"What? A girl knows these things. You'll notice Kiki isn't contradicting me." Riko protested.

"We need to put you into therapy, there's something _wrong_ with you." Yui muttered.

"Everything about me is right, Yui. The sooner you accept that, the sooner I can set you free." Riko said happily.

"They'll probably need to use electroshock on you." Yui said with her lips pursed into a thin, disapproving line.

"Well, regardless, you aren't allowed to test your theory. But yes, Ranma has been a good boy today." She said to Riko with a smile as she continued to lean on her. She opened her eyes and found her oldest friend staring intently at her with a huge grin on her face.

"C'mon, Kiki, tell, what's Ranma doing now to get such a response out of you?" Riko asked in a heavy, seductive voice.

"That's classified." She whispered with a small smile.

Riko slid her arm down to her waist and pulled herself even closer as she started to move. "Walk with me Kiki, tell me about the wonders of the world you've discovered. Yui, guard my coffee please." Riko said as she pulled her away from the window and down the hallway.

"I am not your maid!" Yui yelled after them as she shook her fist at Riko.

"I'll give you a cookie!" Riko yelled over her shoulder.

"Six!" Yui yelled back.

"Done!" Riko yelled back with a grin.

Yui saluted to both of them as Riko turned the corner with her and she lost sight of her. Riko didn't say anything to her for a few moments as they walked together. Riko still had her arm around her waist and she was holding her tightly and looking over at her with a mixed expression every few steps. It was weird to her to have someone else holding her now. She didn't really understand it, but she felt the most right when Ranma was holding her now, and only Ranma. That didn't make much sense. Of everyone in her life allowed to touch her, Ranma had been around the least amount of time, and he had only been promoted to a physical relationship with her very recently. Riko, Akane, Kasumi, Daddy and even Doctor Tofu had all spent far more time in her life touching and holding her. But, for whatever reason, in her mind it was Ranma's touch that felt the most right now.

As she walked in step with Riko, her mind was now telling her that was wrong too. Riko wasn't warm enough. Riko's arm wasn't strong like Ranma's. Riko didn't smell like Ranma, and Riko didn't have Ranma's length of stride. In fact, Riko's stride matched her own, which felt weird to her now, because she was used to making her stride try to unevenly match his much longer one. It made no logical sense, but her mind wasn't in an agreeable mood to debate the subject at the moment.

Riko led her to a nondescript door down the next hallway that looked like every other door in the area. Except it wasn't a classroom, and it had no sign, and Riko had to use a key to open it. Once they were inside, Riko smoothly unwrapped herself from around her as she closed the door behind them, and relocked it. They were in one of the old rooms that had been a teacher's lounge and was now one of their unofficial club rooms. She had bought the key for, and secrecy about, the room from the school's janitor. Only she, Riko, Yui, Nanami and Chihiro knew about the room, and had keys to get into it. It wasn't much of a room, but it did have an old sofa in it, a small table, a fridge, a microwave and a small window. It smelled a bit musty, but it was clean. Compared to some of the official club rooms on campus, their little secret room was much better in a lot of ways.

Riko led her directly for the sofa and sat her down on it while she sat down on the small table in front of the sofa. Her oldest friend waited until she was seated comfortably while she held her hands and looked into her eyes earnestly. After a long pause, Riko broke the silence with a soft voice. "Are you okay?"

"I...I don't know." She answered, not sure where Riko was going with this.

"Are you sure? You're reacting _so strongly_ to him ... it's like you're playacting ... or he has some kind of hold over you. You ... made me promise a long time ago to intervene if I think you're being blackmailed ... what's he have on you?" Riko asked softly as she squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"Nothing, he doesn't have anything on me." She said in a warm voice as she realized what Riko was concerned about.

"Look, I like Ranma, he's a lot of fun, and he's gorgeous, but ... I mean ... come on, you're not acting like yourself, Kiki. You're calling in favors and spending money, you're showing attraction in public. That isn't like you ... at all." Riko said nervously.

"I love you too, Riko." She said with a smile. "I know I haven't been acting like my old self, but that's because I don't want to act like her any more. I want to try things a little different now." She said happily.

Riko eyed her suspiciously for a moment before she spoke again with narrowed eyes. "Have you ever seen a dragonfly as beautiful as the ones at dawn?" Riko asked in a serious tone. It was one of their code phrases. The dragonfly one was their duress code. It was a way for one of them to ask if someone had some power over one of them, and they couldn't openly say anything about it, because they were being controlled or monitored.

She smiled and responded. "I have, but I'm all right with the butterflies I have right now, they aren't as hard to catch." She gave Riko the safe phrase that was the code to assure the asker that they weren't under duress and were speaking freely.

Riko tightened her hold on her hands and whispered to her fiercely. "All right, but I'm watching you."

She winked at her oldest friend. "Good, you'll have front row seats for more material to horrify Yui with." She said happily as they both stood up to head back to class.

"Well, that's always worth front row seats." Riko said with a smile.

"And Ranma and I are going on our date after school, so you'll have that to talk about too." She said happily.

Riko grinned almost ear to ear with her most evil grin as she looked back at her with delight while she closed and locked the door again. She smiled and leaned into Riko again and walked back to her classroom with her in a very happy silence. She knew that Riko was plotting inappropriate things to do and say with Ranma, and that made her very happy.

  


***

  


The day dragged on and she amused herself during class by making faces at Yui and Riko and playing with Nanami's hair while Chihiro ignored all of them. Her mind wasn't on her studies. She doubted it would be again until after the week was over. When the bell finally sounded for lunch, she stayed in her seat and waited. She wasn't nervous. Ranma had proven over and over again that unless something forced him, he could be counted on to keep his promises to her. But she didn't want to stand outside her classroom waiting for him like some pathetic lovestruck schoolgirl. She had her pride and her reputation to preserve after all, and it just wouldn't do to seem too eager. She wanted to at least present the illusion that she was more or less the same person she had been before everything had started. So she stayed in the hard plastic seat of her desk and chatted with her friends. Nanami and Chihiro excused themselves early to attend one of their many clubs, but Riko and Yui stayed with her. At this point in her little saga with Ranma, she didn't think armed soldiers could drag Riko away from watching it unfold. She smiled happily to herself at that thought.

Riko sat herself down on top of her desk, while Yui was content with sitting in the chair of the desk next to hers and simply pulling it closer to hers. Riko was busy braiding little designs into her hair while Yui held her hand and chatted with her. She wasn't really paying attention to any of it. The truth was that she was watching the door out of the corner of her eye like a hawk waiting for prey to move.

When Ranma finally stepped into the doorway a few moments later, she smiled and relaxed. Riko and Yui immediately waved him over. They had been waiting for him too, even though none of them had acknowledged that was what they had been doing. Poor Ranma was constantly being tested by them, and he didn't even know it. _It's a good thing he keeps passing the tests, or they would tear him apart._ She thought with a smile as she turned to face him and felt her mood lighten immediately. He smiled shyly at her as he approached her. He gave little nods of acknowledgment to Yui and Riko, but he kept his eyes on her, and only her. That made her insanely happy, she didn't know why, but she didn't care.

She absently held her arm out for him and he leaned up against her casually and let her pull him in to a one-armed hug. She could tell by how tense the muscles in his back were, that he wasn't fully relaxed, but at least outwardly he was willing to be physical with her. It was clear he was growing more accustomed to having a physical relationship with her. It was also clear that he didn't care much at all what the people in her class thought, as they were all strangers to him. Well, Kuno wasn't a stranger, but Kuno wasn't in the classroom at the moment.

She doubted he would be as casual with touching her surrounded by his own classmates. But she hoped with time he would be relaxed with her even around them. She really enjoyed their casual physical signs of their relationship. There wasn't much else he _could_ do with her anyway. She went out of her way not to fight with him, so he had nothing else to work with at the moment. If he stayed with her though, she would start working on his social skills, and helping him with conversational skills, and other ways to interact with people besides fighting.

"To the tree of power?" Riko asked with a smile.

"The tree of what?" Ranma asked in a confused tone as he looked over at her.

"She just means the lunch tree." Yui said reassuringly.

"Yes, the seat of our power, where we hold court." Riko said gravely.

"Yeah, that." Yui said with a small smile as she gave up and went along with Riko.

Ranma looked at her and she smiled and nodded. Riko wasn't actually straying far from the truth, she just hadn't exposed Ranma to it all yet. And she wouldn't, unless he fully committed to her. So she simply winked at him and stood up from her desk. "Shall we go?" She asked him softly. He nodded and stepped back to give her space to get out of the desk.

"Think fast, Saotome!" Riko chirped happily as her desk rocked side to side loudly.

Ranma made a startled noise and she heard an impact and the rustling of clothing. She looked up and found him awkwardly holding Riko in his arms. Riko had obviously jumped to him from on top of the desk. She rolled her eyes as she gathered her stuff and moved to stand next to Ranma as he set Riko down gently.

She leaned in and put her nose up to Riko's and growled playfully. "Riko?" She said in her best scary voice.

"Yeeeeees?" Riko asked happily.

"Be good!" She growled as she quickly swung her hip into Riko's and launched her away from Ranma. Riko squeaked out a startled yelp as she stumbled and caught herself. Yui laughed so hard at that, she had to bend over and brace herself on her knees while she tried to get her breathing under control.

Some of the rest of the students in her class were eying their antics with raised eyebrows, but most of them were studiously ignoring them. She and her friends were well known to them, and none of them wanted to tangle with her these days. The three of them made their way out of her classroom without further incident.

Ranma walked at her side and she chatted with him about what they were doing in his class. Despite the image he tried to cultivate for himself, he did pay attention in class. They discussed the highlights of the Mathematics he was working on, and what he thought of the poem his class was studying for their Language Arts work. She told him about some of the stuff her class was working on, that he would have to face next year, and Riko and Yui chimed in occasionally to either lie and tell him some of the things were much easier or harder than they were, or to just say they liked or disliked something.

They made their way out of the building, and into school grounds. As they headed for the field where their tree lived, they passed Akane and her friends sitting down and having lunch. Ranma went quiet as they passed Akane while he was surrounded by her and her friends. She watched him carefully as they passed while she nodded politely to her little sister. Akane returned the nod but kept her eyes on Ranma. Ranma, to his credit, didn't try to hide that he was with her, but he didn't do anything overt to show that he was with her either. _That's all right, today I get my chance on our date, and I'm not going to blow it_. She thought determinedly.

Riko and Yui noticed what was going on, and stepped up their antics to cover for the slight drag she and Ranma had put on their silly parade. As soon as they had passed out of sight of Akane, Ranma fully relaxed again and resumed chatting freely with her and her friends. Ranma was clearly still hung up on Akane, or at least cared what Akane thought. She would have to work on that. She sat on the bench and Ranma sat next to her. Riko sat cross-legged in the grass to her left, and Yui did the same to her right.

Surprisingly, Ranma spoke first. "Where's Nanami? Don't you miss her?" Ranma asked Riko quietly. She blinked at him. Was he really poking Riko?

"My crimson Goddess is like the sun. One dare not look at her for too long, lest one risk going blind." Riko said seriously.

"Well, that, and Nanami is crazy-busy. Chihiro too. They belong to like half the clubs and sports teams on campus." Yui chimed in with a smile.

"But ... you seemed like you and Nanami were so close ... why not do the same stuff as she does?" Ranma asked.

She smiled at him. It was sweet that he thought of relationships like that. It wasn't necessary to be joined at the hip with one's significant other. But showing an interest in being with them certainly didn't _hurt_ anything either.

"If my crimson Goddess wishes to cuddle with me, she knows where to find me. In the meantime, I have you to play with." Riko said happily. "Riiiiight, Ranma?" Riko asked in a sing-song voice that caused Yui to actually lean away from her with a grimace on her face. That was never a good sign.

Yui frowned and turned her attention away from Riko, then smiled knowingly at Ranma. "Yeah Ranma, three days in a row, you must have it _bad_ for Nabi-chan to endure Riko that frequently." Yui said with a small smile.

Riko darted her eyes over to Yui and scowled. "Maybe he secretly has a thing for me, ever think of that, little miss smarty pants? Maybe he's just using Kiki-chan as an excuse to get close to me?"

"I seriously doubt that." Yui shot back with a laugh. "You probably traumatized the poor boy with your display with Nanami yesterday." Yui said in her scolding voice.

Riko scowled at her then stuck out her lower lip and pouted. "You're the reason I have self esteem issues!" Riko said with a fake sniffle.

She burst out laughing at that. "Oh, Riko, c'mon, at least try to make it believable."

"I'm telling the nurse about all of you." Riko huffed as she scooted closer to Ranma and stuck her tongue out at them. "Only Ranma understands me, right, Ranma?" Riko said in a huff as she tugged at his pants leg.

He shook his head gently in reply, then shrugged.

Riko poked his leg sharply and repeated herself in a louder voice. "Only you understand me, RIGHT, RANMA?!"

"Nope." He said calmly.

"See that, he's learning how to tell you no." Yui said happily.

"He's obviously hysterical with desire for me, poor boy doesn't know what he's saying."

"I do so I—"

"Hush now, your Riko's here." Riko said as she hopped up and pressed her finger to his lips. Ranma looked over at her in exasperation.

"Well, that's one way to get a date, just shout him down until he gives in." She said with a grin.

"Exactly." Riko said happily as she climbed into his lap.

"And you can demonstrate just how to do it on a new guy." She said sternly.

"But I'm so comfy." Riko said with a muffled sigh as she buried herself into his lap.

"Okay, let me rephrase, get off my Ranma, and it's your turn to deal with Kuno." She said sternly.

"Kuno?" Riko said with an evil grin as she poked her head up over Ranma's shoulder and looked the way she was looking. It did not escape her notice that while Riko was doing that, she had also wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed herself against him.

"Yup, he's on his way over." She said as she reached over and pulled on Riko's shoulder gently but firmly to peel her off of Ranma.

"Son of a bitch, he really is coming back for more. Unbelievable." Riko said as she allowed herself to be pulled back. "That boy is like the definition of sadomasochism." Riko said as she hopped from foot to foot and literally shivered with excitement.

"Oh, excellent. This will be very entertaining." Yui said happily from the grass.

"Think he's coming over to get revenge for what we did to his sister?" Riko asked.

"I doubt it, those two aren't exactly close." She said confidently.

"Revenge? What did you do?" Ranma asked.

"Don't worry about it." Riko said with a wink.

"But you'll protect us if he's cranky, right Ranma?" Yui asked sweetly.

"Even Kuno wouldn't attack people who aren't martial artists." Ranma said with confidence. Riko locked eyes with him and didn't blink. Ranma stared at her for a moment before he sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I'll protect you, but don't worry about it, it'll be fine." He said.

She didn't think Kuno had as much restraint as Ranma seemed to think he did, but it didn't matter, Kuno knew better than to go after her or her lieutenants, and even Kuno wouldn't be crazy enough to attack her with Ranma standing right next to her.

"This is gonna be epic, I'm looking forward to this." Riko said happily as she sat down on the bench and swung her feet back and forth happily while she watched Kuno approach. Ranma looked over at herself with wide eyes and an unspoken question. She shrugged.

Yui went ahead and asked anyway. "Why?"

"Because, my dear Yui, I've said it before, and I'll say it again, if one sticks enough heads on pikes, eventually the masses will pay attention. Sure, there will always be some harebrained moron who thinks that if _they_ try it, it'll turn out different. Fortunately, in those cases, one can always make more pikes." Riko said in a happy, almost chirpy voice.

"I cannot stress this enough, you need to relax more, you're starting to get creepy." Yui said with a small shudder.

"Sometimes I just need to watch the world burn, Yui. You're just gonna have to make peace with that." Riko said.

"But hey, you've got a front row seat to watch me toss that stupid stick of Kuno's into a burn barrel to give it a proper Viking funeral, that's gotta be exciting, right?" Riko said happily.

"So ... we're agreed then, no more letting Riko be the enforcer?" Yui asked in a worried tone.

She nodded slowly. She knew Riko was kidding, but it was still fun to play the game. Ranma was looking at her with actual worry on his face. A moment later he leaned over and whispered a question into her ear.

"She's not ... actually gonna attack him, is she?" He asked quietly.

She shrugged as she replied. "I don't know. You'll find out when I do."

"So, Ranma, are you ready to take my little Kiki on her date tonight?" Riko asked over her shoulder without taking her eyes off Kuno's approaching form. Ranma leaned back away from her and looked at her with tired eyes before he replied. She could tell he was getting a little bit weary of having his actions with her questioned by her friends.

"Yup, Nabiki and I are gonna go right after school today." He replied neutrally.

Riko turned slowly back to stare at him with a disapproving frown on her face as she shook her head slowly at him.

"W-what?" He asked defensively.

Riko just stared hard at him for several moments before she finally sighed and rolled her eyes as she explained her disappointment. "Nabiki? _Nabiki?!_ Really? You're still calling her by her actual name?" Riko said in a voice dripping with scorn.

Ranma darted his eyes at her, and she shrugged. She had no idea what Riko was on about either.

"Well ... I call her Kiki sometimes too." He said hesitantly.

Riko rolled her eyes at him. "That's _my_ nickname for her. You have to come up with your own." Riko said as she looked over at Yui. "Honestly, it's like he's not even trying."

"Careful there, Riko, or someone might let it slip to Ranma what Kenta's nickname for you was." Yui said with an evil grin and a nod to herself.

Riko looked back at her with wide eyes. "You wouldn't." She said in a low, wary tone.

She smiled back at Riko. "I might."

"You pinkie promised!"

"I used my left pinkie, that one's cursed." She replied with a lazy smile.

"Listen, I have to at least frame Ranma for a felony, or at least light him on fire, before you tell him that, all right? We're talking about vastly different degrees of offense here!" Riko protested.

"Why do you care what we call each other?" Ranma jumped in.

Riko smiled at him gratefully and happily jumped onto the change of subject. "Lovers don't use their real names with each other, unless they are at work or something. You _have to_ give your lover a nickname, it's a natural law of the universal."

"Is it?" Yui asked sweetly.

Riko glared at Yui for a moment before she swung her attention back to Ranma. "I _guarantee_ you, before those two idiots offed themselves, they weren't calling each other _Romeo_ and _Juliet_. Maybe _Roro_ and _Lili_ or something, but not their real names. It just isn't ... proper." Riko said sternly.

"Well, Nabiki still calls me Ranma, so I think we're even right now." He said as he looked at her with an uncertain gaze. Riko had managed to make him question whether she was as into him as he was with her. Wonderful.

"I'm working on a nickname for you, Ranma. But, it isn't like you've come up with one for me either. Like Riko said, using hers doesn't count." She said with a wink.

He nodded at her then poked Riko again. "I guess we're just gonna do things our own way."

"My life would be much simpler if everyone would just do as I say." Riko grumped as she sighed and turned back to watching Kuno approach.

"Wouldn't that bring about the end of civilization?" Yui asked sweetly.

"Only the parts I don't care about." Riko replied happily.

"You're like a terrifying toddler sometimes, you know that?" Yui asked.

"I'm much better after nap time, wouldn't you agree?" Riko said with a happy nod while she watched Kuno approach.

Yui stared off into the distance and watched Kuno approach as well for a moment and didn't react to Riko. That, of course, provoked Riko to try to get her attention.

"Yui? ... Yuiiiiiii? ... Yui? YuiYuiYuiYUIYUIYUI!" Riko chanted.

Yui swung her gaze over to Riko with an annoyed sigh. "You interrupted my thoughts!"

"Thoughts, really? Plural?" Riko teased.

Yui scowled at her for a moment, then hung her head in defeat. "OK, thought."

"That's better." Riko said as she reached over and patted her head. "What was your thought about?"

"I was just wondering if he's going to try for another date with Ranma again, or if he has a new angle."

"The mind reels, doesn't it? He's like a crazy pseudo-Samurai jack-in-the-box. You never know what he's gonna whip out next." Riko said happily as she settled back in to wait for him on the bench.

"Five'll getcha twenty that Riko makes him cry?" Yui asked her with an impish smile.

"No bet, too risky, it could go either way." She said with a wink.

"I'll take that action." Riko said absently as she reached over and handed Yui a five hundred Yen note.

Kuno arrived not long after that. He walked straight up to herself, and ignored Riko and Yui. He had a serious but pensive expression on his face. Riko stood up from the bench and glared at his back. She knew Riko would make him pay for bypassing her.

"Greetings, Nabiki Tendo." Kuno said in his usual baritone.

"Hey Kuno. I think Riko wants to talk to you." She said as she nodded her chin to Riko.

"I have no business with her." Kuno said as he looked back briefly at Riko then back at her with exasperation.

"If you have business with me, then you go through Riko today, that's the rule." She said as she leaned against Ranma. She was happy that Ranma wasn't trying to deal with Kuno for them.

Kuno opened his mouth to argue with her, then closed it when he saw the look in her eyes. "Fine." He snapped as he spun on his heel, put his hands on his hips, and glared at Riko.

Riko was sitting on the bench again, and in full monarchy-mode. Riko grinned predatorily at him as she laced her fingers together, placed her elbows on her knees, and rested her chin on them. "What is it you wish of us? Speak quickly, peasant, we grow bored with thee already." Riko said regally.

"Peasant?! How dare you?! I am a scion of the noble house of Ku—"

She cleared her throat loudly and interrupted his rant. He looked back at her, sighed heavily, then nodded. "Very well then, to business." He said as he turned back to Riko and played along. She kind of had a feeling that he secretly enjoyed it though. He knelt formally in front of Riko, splayed his hands obsequiously and spoke in a subdued tone. "I am here to formally apologize on behalf of my twisted sister, and to beseech thee to release the hold thou hath placed over her."

"Why would we do that?" Riko asked haughtily.

Kuno opened his mouth angrily to argue, then closed it again before he said anything, and tried again. "She went too far. She deserved to be punished. I have personally seen to it that she will never set foot in this school again, and I also personally destroyed all of her dangerous little toys." He said calmly, but she could tell he was straining to control his temper. She knew it must be killing him to abase himself like he was. It was a sign of the urgency he must be feeling, that he was making the apology and request at all.

"So what? She can make or buy more." Yui said in a cold voice. Ranma looked over at Yui sharply. She was sure he was surprised that Yui was showing her non-warm side. She and all of her lieutenants could be cold when the situation called for it. Yui was just usually the voice of reason around Ranma, so it probably startled him to see her diverging from that.

"I promise you, even if she does, she won't come anywhere near this school, or any of the Tendos ever again. You have my word." Kuno said through tightly clenched teeth.

"What about Ranma?" She asked.

"What about him?" Kuno asked wearily.

"I don't want her around him either." She said coldly.

"Why not? It isn't like _he_ has anything to fear from her." Kuno argued.

She didn't answer, she just looked back over at Riko and shook her head.

Riko jumped right back into it without missing a beat. "Your sister must stay away from Ranma as well. Otherwise, no deal."

"I ... fine ... I will arrange it. Anything to get her out of the house again. I love her well, but she is driving me crazy, and most of the servants have already quit. It has to stop." Kuno grumbled. Then he fumbled around inside his Kendogi and brought out a small little dolly that fit in the palm of his hand. The dolly was wearing a bright pink dress, and had blond hair with a white bow. In short, it was insufferably cute and meant for children. He held it out to Riko slowly, and lifted it above his head.

"What in the nine hells is _that_?!" Riko asked as she recoiled away from it with a look of disgust on her face.

"It is a peace offering."

"Kuno ..." Riko said in exasperation.

"Yes?"

"None of us are eleven."

"Oh ... I see ... well then, how about this?" Kuno said brusquely as he tucked the small little doll back into his Kendogi, then reached behind himself and pulled out something that had been tucked into his belt. She had thought it was just another of his little Kendo toys. It was a small cylindrical shape wrapped in a black cloth. Kuno unwrapped it and laid it at Riko's feet. It was one of the clubs Kodachi used in her Rhythmic Gymnastics. It had been cut in half.

"Very well, we will consider it and get back to you." Riko said haughtily, still in her Queen's persona as she accepted his much more appropriate peace offering.

Kuno stood up and glared at her. "I have bent about as far as I am willing to bend on this. Be reasonable. My sister's transgressions were not that severe."

Riko narrowed her eyes at Kuno and jutted her chin back to herself. She hardened her eyes and pulled back her sleeves and held up her darkly bruised arms for him to see. Ranma sucked his breath in when he saw it. She had been hiding it from him as well.

Kuno blinked in shock, then pulled himself up to his full height and came to rigid attention in the Kendo tradition. He then lowered his eyes and slowly bowed to her at the waist until he was a full ninety degrees down. He held the bow for several seconds, then slowly stood back up.

He met her eyes, and she stared back at him with her professional mask fully in place. "I'll think about it. Riko or Yui will tell you the decision sometime this week or next. We will wait and watch and see if your claims about controlling her are true or not. Fair enough?" She asked.

"I suppose so." Kuno said as he nodded and started to walk away.

"Kuno?" She called out after him. "Tell your sister ... she has no idea who she's fooling with. _Nobody_ understands revenge better than me. I am a master of it. I am not someone to be crossed lightly. I don't handle things like Ranma does, but I pay my debts, as she now knows. And she should know I am _much_ worse if anyone comes after my family. That won't end well for anyone who tries it. If she ever comes after me or my family again, and that includes Ranma, ... then the consequences will be _far_ more serious." She stated matter-of-factly.

Kuno nodded sharply then continued walking away as nobly as he could. "I shall tell her. Until anon, Nabiki Tendo."

Riko stayed in character until he couldn't hear her anymore, then she lay down in the grass and giggled madly.

She smiled as Riko let it out. Yui sat down next to Riko's head and started playing with her hair. Ranma just looked at her blankly as she covered her bruises again. He moved even closer to her and wrapped his arms gently around her waist, very gently, like he was afraid he would break her.

"I'm sorry, I should never have left you alone, I had no idea it was so bad, I—"

"Calm down, Ranma. It looks worse than it is. I am sure you get bruised all the time." She whispered to him. She didn't make him let her go, though.

"Well ... sure ... but that's different." He said gently.

"Only difference between your fights and mine, is you have more experience than I do." She said calmly.

"I'm still sorry." He said softly.

"I know you are." She said just as softly as she rested her chin on his shoulder and wrapped her own arms around him.

"Hey Riko, you didn't torture him as much as I thought you were gonna." Yui said.

"That's what you think, I was in his head. The mind games were _intense_ , Yui." Riko replied in a very serious but silly tone.

"But you lost the bet."

"Money well spent."

"What ... why?"

"I was in your head too, silly goose." Riko said happily.

Yui rolled her eyes, sat up sharply and argued with Riko about her delusions of mind games. She tuned them out. As Yui and Riko bickered happily she kept her head on Ranma's shoulder, and let her mind and body relax into his warmth. She was _finally_ starting to feel like she was reaching equilibrium again. She hadn't quite found her center again yet, but she could feel that it was close. She was happy. Ranma was with her, and her friends were with her, and everything was settling down. Two of the three people chasing Ranma had been dealt with, and she had her date with him after school. Things were going well.

She watched the students walking around them, and tried to let go as she luxuriated in his warm arms. She couldn't though, because Akane and her friends chose that moment to walk by their group. Akane didn't say anything, and Ranma's back was to her, so he couldn't see her. Akane didn't break her stride or do anything though, she just looked at them together as she walked, she didn't even break her conversation with her friends. But she saw Akane's eyes on her in Ranma's arms, and her little sister's eyes didn't leave them until the last possible moment. Akane had looked ... thoughtful. She didn't know what to make of that.


	39. Where Are We Going?

[soundtrack for this one: _No Limit,_ by **Mizuki Nana (水樹奈々)** ]

Nabiki was waiting for Ranma outside his classroom. He was still packing up his things. She could see him through the open doorway. She was flanked by Yui on her left, and Riko on her right. All three of them were leaning on the wall with the windows, across from the doorway. They were ignoring the stream of students that were passing between them and the classroom, and their cacophony of sounds.

Riko was holding her hand tightly and leaning up against her. Riko wasn't as warm as Ranma, but she still appreciated Riko's body heat pressed against her side and in her hand. Her friends had insisted on walking with her to meet Ranma after class had ended. While they waited, Riko and Yui were happily arguing about their usual silly nonsense. She chimed in every now and then, but for the most part she just watched Ranma and smiled. She was excited to finally start their date, and was trying hard not to show it. She felt a burning eagerness in her chest though. The truth was she could barely stand still, she was so excited.

Akane was still in the classroom with Ranma. Her younger sister was standing off to the side with her own friends, by the windows in the classroom. She could tell Akane was watching him too, but her little sister was doing her best to hide what she was doing by mostly keeping her eyes on her own friends. Every now and then Akane would slide her eyes casually over to him though. Akane's eyes also darted over to herself every now and then as well. 

She didn't acknowledge Akane's gaze, since her little sister was clearly trying to be subtle. And she also wasn't sure what to do about Akane ... at all, and she didn't want to think about it right now. As soon as Ranma was done packing up, they would officially be on their way to their date. That was all she wanted to think about at the moment.

Ranma straighted up a moment later as he slung his bag over one shoulder and clapped his friends on the shoulder, and started walking for the doorway. He looked back and waved at Akane. Her little sister returned the wave enthusiastically, and smiled at him. Then he walked straight out the door to her. He smiled broadly at her as he approached. Riko and Yui went quiet to either side of her, and watched respectfully. They knew how important this was to her.

He stopped in front of her, close enough that he could reach out and touch her if he wanted, but not so close that it was awkward. He reached his hand out to her and smiled again. "You ready to go on our date?" He asked softly. She nodded happily as she stepped forward away from the wall, let go of Riko's hand, and reached for his hand. Ranma nodded in return and they set off.

She looked back at her friends with a mixture of feelings. She wanted to giggle and swoon and show them that she was happy and proud to be going out with him, and she also wanted to be very serious and show how adult she was, and how ready she was to be in a serious relationship. She settled for smiling broadly and waving to them happily. Riko and Yui squealed in delight and hugged each other, then reached out with their arms and flapped a waving goodbye to her in a silly motion like they were imitating waves of the sea. It made her happy to see them being so silly.

They made it outside the school and on to the street without incident. As they had agreed beforehand, they were going to stop by the house so they could change clothes and get properly ready for their date. She knew all he was going to do was change clothes and maybe take a quick shower. She had her hair and makeup to do as well. She was going to have to conscript Kasumi to help her get ready fast enough, to prevent him waiting too long. She had watched for signs of Akane making any urgent motions to follow them home, but hadn't seen her. She hoped that she and Ranma would be gone on their date before Akane got back. She really didn't want to deal with Akane right now.

Both she and Ranma were sneaking looks at each other as they walked home. She was deliriously happy that he was still doing that. It was a very good sign that he would be willing to go the distance with her, if he was still looking at her with interest after living with her as long as he had been, and after having spent so much time in close contact with her the last few days. She didn't have that much more of herself to share with him, that he didn't already know about. All she had left was her body and her secrets. Some of her secrets she had resolved to tell him about on their date. The rest ... he would only find out about if he committed to her. _And the rest he's gonna have to ask me marry him to earn_. She thought happily to herself.

As soon as they reached the house, she squeezed his hand and darted off to find Kasumi. She belatedly realized that she should probably have included Kasumi in her plans. She hoped her older sister was home. It wouldn't be a tragedy if she had to get ready alone, though. Ranma would just have to wait a bit longer in that case. She heard him racing up the stairs to take the first shower as she popped into the kitchen.

She found Kasumi standing at the counter and sipping a cup of tea while she read a magazine. She smiled to see her older sister relaxing for once. She wondered if Kasumi was happier having Doctor Tofu in the house all the time.

Kasumi looked up at her and returned her smile. "Hello Nabiki, back from school already?" She nodded happily in response. She couldn't help herself, she knew she was grinning. "Anything I can do for you? You're home a bit earlier than usual, I'm afraid I won't be starting dinner for a little while yet, but there are snacks in the—"

"I have my date with Ranma today." She whispered excitedly.

"Oh my, well that's wonderful Nabiki." Kasumi said with a twinkle in her eye.

"I was wondering ..." She said hesitantly.

"Yes?" Kasumi said as she set her tea down and gave her full attention to her.

"I was wondering ... if you could help me get ready? I want to do something with my hair, and put on makeup ... nicely. You know, all the stuff I almost never do." She said lamely. She knew she sounded silly.

Kasumi clasped her hands under her chin and smiled happily at her and nodded. "Of course I'll help you, Nabiki. Let's go. You go pick out your clothes and your accessories while I get my makeup and hair stuff. Ranma should be out of the bathroom by the time we have everything." Kasumi said briskly as she herded her out of the kitchen.

She nodded and let Kasumi maneuver her into the hallway and up the stairs. Kasumi switched from pushing her to walking in front of her and holding her hand and pulling on her to hurry. She smiled at her older sister's enthusiasm. _And I thought I was the one eager for this date_. She thought.

She reached the top of the stairs and split off from Kasumi to dart into her room. She opened her closet and removed the special garment bag that contained her most prized article of clothing. There had been no question in her mind that it would be what she would wear on their date, after she and Ranma had decided when and where they would be going out. She grabbed the shoes, and everything else that went with it, from the little pile on her dresser, then did her best to walk calmly back into the hall. Kasumi was already standing there waiting for her. Ranma was still in the bathroom though.

She was just about to open her mouth and make a joke about Ranma taking too long in the bathroom because he was part girl, or something like that, she hadn't fully formed the joke in her mind. But before she could, the door slid open and Ranma walked into the hall wearing a towel around his waist, and rubbing a towel into his hair. He paused and blinked at her and Kasumi then smiled at her.

"What you got there, Nabiki?" He asked as he craned his neck to look at the things in her arms. She blushed and turned away from him. She didn't want him to know how carried away with everything she was getting.

"Never you mind, Ranma. Move along." Kasumi said as she nudged him to the side and pulled her into the bathroom before either of them could do or say anything. Kasumi shut the door on him as he opened his mouth to say something. She continued to blush as she set her stuff down on the counter. The bathroom was still a bit warm and steamy from Ranma's shower.

Kasumi busied herself setting things up by the mirror and gently shoved her into the bathing area. She nodded and hanged her dress up on the wall before she quickly showered and toweled herself off. She returned to stand back in front of the dress as she was finishing drying off, and eyed it both with apprehension and eagerness. It was her special dress.

She had bought the dress over a year ago with Riko during a victory shopping trip after a particularly good string of deals and business victories. It had been expensive, and luxurious, and lovely and ... special. She had vowed to keep it safe and unused until the perfect occasion came up to use it for. She couldn't think of a more appropriate special event to wear the dress for, than her first official date with Ranma.

She donned her underwear quickly then gently, reverently, picked the dress up and took it off the hanger. She lifted it up and examined it in the light. It was still gorgeous and in the same new condition it had been in when she'd gotten it. She sighed and pulled the dress close against her skin and hugged it to herself. She enjoyed the cool heavy silk on her skin for a moment, then smiled and stepped into the dress. She slid it up herself slowly. She wanted to enjoy putting it on for the first time since she had tried it on in the store.

It still fit her perfectly. She knew she hadn't grown, or put on or lost any significant weight since she'd gotten it. But, she had been nervous about the fit anyway. It was a floor-length formal evening dress with long sleeves, a heart-shaped cutout at the neck, and an open back. It didn't have a lot of wiggle-room for changes to her body shape. She turned back and forth in the dress and tested the fit, and decided she wouldn't have to use her backup dress.

She smiled and slid open the door to the main bathroom and stepped through it. Kasumi turned from her preparations at the counter by the mirror and gasped. "Nabiki! You look beautiful!" Her elder sister exclaimed happily.

She smiled at Kasumi and tried not to blush. "Thank you." She said quietly as she turned around and presented her back to Kasumi. "Can you zip me up?" She asked in a small voice. She was embarrassed how into this she was. Even sharing it with Kasumi, who would have seen her leave anyway, was hard for her to do.

She felt Kasumi finish zipping her up and turned quickly to look in the mirror at herself. The dress fit like she remembered. It was stunning, and it was a very adult look. She kind of felt like a kid playing dress-up in adult clothes. She ignored that feeling though, she knew it was just her doubts rising up to drag her down.

She looked at herself hard in the mirror and decided she looked too stressed out, and too tired. She was going to have to get Kasumi to help her use the makeup to hide that. _I am going to look great on this date. I am going to blow him out of the water. This is the one chance I get, and I'm not going to waste it. I am just as beautiful as Akane is, and I have just as much to offer him as she does, maybe more_. She thought sternly to herself. She leaned on the counter and put her face very close to the mirror and looked deeply into her own eyes — eyes that had already seen too much. _I hope_... she added silently to herself. Then she forced a smile on her face and turned back to face Kasumi. "Okay, time for hair and makeup." She said in a shaky voice. She was trying to hide how nervous she was. She could tell by the expression on Kasumi's face, that she wasn't fooling her older sister.

"We'll be done before you know it." Kasumi said with a confident smile as she held up a brush in one hand, and eyeliner in the other.

***

She emerged from the bathroom less than fifteen minutes later more done-up and made-up than she had ever been in her life. The only concession she had made to practicality had been her shoes. Instead of heels, she was wearing flats. Nobody could tell anyway, as her dress hid her feet.

She looked back nervously at Kasumi who beamed at her from the bathroom doorway, then nodded and made shooing motions with her hands. She nodded and set out on unsteady legs to head down the stairs.

Ranma was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. He looked up at her and smiled, then he actually looked back again and gaped in a double-take as his mouth fell open. She flushed with pleasure and embarrassment at his reaction. She could feel a warm pit of happiness filling up in the center of her chest. She smiled somewhat shyly at him as she put a little bit more of a sway into her hips as she descended the stairs. It was one thing when he was sneaking looks at her while they walked together. It was another thing entirely for her to have made an effort to look nice, and to get the kind of reaction she was getting from him. It made her feel good that he was responding so strongly to her efforts.

Her special dress looked even better in natural light than it did under the fluorescent lights of the bathroom. It was a red and white silk dress that was almost skin-tight up top, and draped loosely in elegant folds from her waist down. It was a deep red at the top, and faded to a pink at her waist, and it faded even further to a brilliant white past her waist. Her hair was styled into a complicated style that only Kasumi knew how to do. It had a wave and flow to it that was both elegant and very subtle. She was also wearing a light flowery perfume with a hint of citrus to it, and her makeup was flawless in the way that only Kasumi's practiced hand could make it. She had allowed Kasumi to do all of it: lips, cheeks, eyes, eyelashes, everything. Normally, if she wore it at all, she only put on lipstick and _maybe_ some eyeliner. But this wasn't a normal occasion, this was a special occasion.

He had made an effort as well. He was wearing his nice blue silk Chinese shirt that he almost never wore, and he was wearing western style black dress slacks and western style black polished dress shoes. His hair wasn't styled, but he had trimmed it a bit so it was more out of his eyes, and his flowery-cedar smell blended nicely with his freshly showered smell. He was still gazing at her with very wide eyes. She smiled at him as she reached the ground floor.

"You look ... great ... Nabiki ... I mean ... wow!" Ranma said quietly.

She smiled at him and reached out for his hand. "You look very nice too. Are you ready to go?" She asked as she slid the strap for her clutch-purse over her left wrist while she kept her right hand in his. He nodded at her enthusiastically. "Well, let's go then." She whispered to him.

He nodded and set out quickly towards the door. She looked back on instinct to the top of the stairs and found Kasumi smiling at her proudly. She smiled back and then lost sight of her as Ranma led her out the door. They were on the street and walking towards the train station moments later.

As soon as they were out of sight of the house, she relaxed and unclenched from the worry she had been holding on to. She really hadn't wanted to run into Daddy or Akane on their way out. Her luck was finally improving. She walked with him in a happy silence for a block. It was cool outside, but not cold. There was a little bit of a breeze, but it wasn't anything she hadn't endured when wearing her thinner school uniform dress. She turned to look at Ranma and tried to come up with a good topic of conversation, he surprised her by beating her to it.

"So ... what did you guys do to Kodachi that has Kuno so bent outta shape?" He asked with some amusement in his voice. He had tried to ask about it after Kuno had left, but Riko had filibustered him until he gave up. It wasn't a big secret, but she had enjoyed watching him getting increasingly irritated with Riko and having to argue with her. He didn't know it, but Riko was training him to deal with frustration and anger by using words instead of fists. That was good for him, _and_ it was also extremely entertaining to watch. So, she hadn't stepped in and just told him what they'd done. But that was then, and she didn't see any reason not to tell him now.

She looked over at him and smiled innocently. "I made a few calls, and convinced the Board of Governors that oversees the Tayorinai private school district, which includes Saint Hebereke's school For Girls, that Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics is just too dangerous a sport for the young ladies of Saint Hebereke, which was the only school in the district practicing it. They have suspended the program and banned it while a safety study is conducted."

"Wow ... that's ... pretty brutal. Kodachi must be goin' out of her mind." Ranma said in an impressed voice.

She laughed. "The best part is, the agent doing the safety _study_ from the Government's Student Welfare agency, owes me a _huge_ favor, and he'll come to whatever conclusion I tell him to come to."

"I wonder what Kodachi is gonna do with her time if she can't do Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics anymore?" Ranma asked.

She shrugged. "Don't know, don't care. Maybe she can work on not being so insane?" She said with a hard edge to her voice.

"So ... that was your revenge for her attackin' you?" He asked in a quiet voice.

"No. _That_ I was more or less willing to let go. Kodachi is just touched enough in the head that I really don't think she fully understands the difference between attacking someone like Akane, who's trained, and someone like me who hasn't trained seriously in about a decade." She said in a neutral tone.

"Then why—"

"Because she came after _you_ , Ranma." She said quietly.

He stopped walking and looked at her quizzically. She smiled at him and squeezed his hand. "You remember that girl who accused you of groping her yesterday?" She asked.

He nodded with confusion on his face. She smiled at him patiently. "Kodachi paid her to do it. I'm positive of that."

He blinked at her. "But you stopped that." He said hesitantly.

She nodded at him and smiled as she nudged him to start walking again. "I did, and now I have informed Kodachi of the price she will have to pay if she comes after you again." She said calmly.

He walked next to her in silence for a while. She was starting to worry that he was mad at her for doing it, right when he laughed. She looked over at him with wide eyes.

"That's ... pretty cool. You won the fight without havin' ta fight. Very nice." He said with a smile on his face. She relaxed and leaned against him briefly as they walked. "Are you gonna let her have it back?" He asked after a moment.

She looked at him and smiled her small, dangerous smile. She had already made her decision, but wanted to know what he thought. "What do you think I should do?" She asked him softly.

He looked into the distance and didn't say anything for a few moments. She waited patiently and just enjoyed walking with him. He spoke again a few moments later. "I guess, if it was me, now that she's had her warnin' ... I'd give her another chance." He said quietly, then looked over to her with a cringe like he expected her to mock him.

She smiled at him instead. "Why?" Was all she asked in reply.

"Um ... well ... now that she knows what she can lose by doin' that, if you give it back to her, then she may think it's better ta focus on that stuff she likes, and ta just stay away from you, an' stuff..." He trailed off shyly as he looked at her.

"Ranma ..." she said with a smile, and waited until he looked over at her so he could see the smile reach her eyes as well. "Ranma ... that's exactly what I was going to do, and exactly the reason I was going to do it." She said with happy approval. He looked back at her with eyes wide with disbelief as a slow smile spread over his face.

"See, you're better at solving problems without fighting than you thought you were." She encouraged him.

"Maybe ... now ... we just need ta get you better at solvin' problems _with_ fightin', so ya don't get no more bruises." He said with a small smile.

She smiled back at him then swung her hip into his. "Well, I'm teaching you the non-fighting stuff. When are you going to make me a black belt?" She asked flippantly.

"Well, we hafta train ya first ... an' your dad or mine would have ta promote ya, I can't do it." He said quietly.

She smiled at him and laughed softly. "I was kidding Ranma, I'll probably never get that good." She said seriously.

He looked sharply over at her and frowned. "Yes you will, don't say stuff like that. You have ta believe you can do it, if ya wanna win." He said earnestly.

"What do you mean?" She asked him curiously.

"It's ... it's like this ... Martial Arts won't work ... if ya don't think it'll work."

"If ya don't trust your trainin', if ya don't think the techniques you know'll work, then you're defeated before ya even try ta defend yourself."

"Well, so make me a black belt and then I'll work on getting better while everyone hides from me." She joked.

He shook his head. "That would be the worst thing ta do for your trainin'. Even at white belt, every lesson should be taken seriously. Every lesson, your teacher should be trainin' ya like you're gonna be attacked later that day, and you'll need what they're teachin' ya, to survive. If your teacher just passes you, or just says, 'well I know you don't have that technique down yet, but let's move on,' then they ain't helpin' ya." He said with a surprising amount of passion in his voice.

She smiled at that and tried a joke to deflect him from his seriousness. "Well sure, but it's going to be a long time before I can do the fancy stuff you can do. In the meantime, I can at least pretend to be a badass."

He smiled at her and shook his head. "You're better than you think you are. The fact that you held your own against Kodachi for awhile proves that."

"So?"

"So, all of the fancy stuff is just a way to control a fight ta get it back to one of the simple things anyway."

She looked at him blankly, so he smiled and elaborated.

"The basics you already know are what we call the foundational or base techniques. The basic blocks, kicks, chops, punches, elbows and footwork. Once a student masters those, they are a master of the basics and they can wear a black belt. After that, you train in what Pops calls the _what if_ phase. That's where we start tryin' ta come up with answers for all the ways a fight can fall apart. Like, if you know how to defend against a right punch, but they throw a left, or you start to defend against a kick then they throw an unexpected punch. You train to react to that and change the technique you're usin' as needed. Once the reaction's done, yer right back in the base technique.

"The last phase Pops calls the _spontaneous phase_ and all that's just basically free sparrin'. You do whatever feels right, and they do whatever feels right, and you work on your flow. And that is answered by the _what if_ phase trainin', which again drops right back ta the basics. _Everything_ comes back to the simple techniques you learn at white belt. The _what if_ part provides an answer that flows from one base technique to another base technique. The _spontaneous_ part of that is simply being able to do that, and being relaxed enough to do it. That is how you fill the gap between base techniques to _spontaneous_.

"And then ya learn about stuff like obscure angles, and taking your opponent's stance, and bringing them in to your stance so you never give up anything, and staying in your position of strength, and on and on. But, it all comes down to the basics. The fancy stuff is nice, and absolutely needed against other masters, but the base techniques are really what win or lose a fight. Good blocks, kicks, strikes, and putting them together in the right way, that's what it's all about."

"I'll do what I can." She said with a nod and a smile. She wanted to talk to him more about what he thought about recent events, and about martial arts training, but they were about to arrive at the Nerima train station. It wasn't crowded yet, so they were able to walk right into the main station. They each bought their own tickets for the Yurakucho Line heading towards Shin-Kiba, going as far as Shintomicho station, near the Imperial Palace. The trip would take them about thirty five minutes, not counting the walking they were doing. They didn't have to wait long for the next train. The trains were running every twenty minutes at this time of day, and they had arrived with only a few minutes until the next one arrived. That had been part of the reason she had nudged him to keep walking.

Once they had nothing to do but wait for the train, she relaxed again as she stood next to Ranma and held his hand. She had not wanted to be stuck waiting for the next train for a third of an hour. That was a lot of time to stand still with homicidal Amazons supposedly hunting her.

She looked around while they waited. The train station was a typical one. It smelled slightly of train engine oil and grease. It was very clean with signs up everywhere to direct both foreigners and locals with signs in multiple languages and pictographic instructions for the most important things. She was pulled out of her observations by a distant train whistle coming from up the tracks on her left. She smiled and squeezed Ranma's hand. They were about to be on their way to their date for real!

The train arrived and they were able to board it with no problem. The crowds were light at the moment. Most people didn't leave the office early in the middle of the week. It was still Tokyo, though, so it wasn't like the train was empty. Ranma walked with her over to a lone seat in a corner that was next to a space for a wheelchair. She sat down while he remained standing next to her.

They rode the train together in a companionable silence. Almost nobody spoke on the trains in Tokyo, it just ... wasn't done. She sat on her lone seat, and he stood right in front of her. He was trying to act nonchalant, but she knew he was shielding her from the crowd. He was facing her, with his back to the rest to the crowd. Unlike the rest of the passengers standing, Ranma didn't use any of the overhead straps or bars to hold on to. He simply stood rooted to the spot and looked down at her and smiled.

 _Is this really happening? Is it real? Am I really on a date with Ranma?_ She thought to herself in disbelief as she watched him. It felt surreal to her that it was finally happening.

Occasionally he would look up at the crowd or out the windows as he scanned for danger. But mostly he looked at her. He had been the subject of her attention off and on since he had arrived at their house being carried by a panda. However, _she_ had only been the focus of _his_ attention for about half a week now. The difference between having him occasionally barely paying attention to her, and having him focused entirely on her, was like the difference between having a candle in a dark room, and having the sun flood that same room with light after throwing open the window.

It was ... _intense_.

Surprisingly, she had been finding that since she had decided to go for it with him, that she had really liked his attention. She had always thought of herself as mostly a singular person. She liked solitary activities like reading, and music, and watching TV. She really only interacted with people for business reasons, or when she was out with her friends — which didn't happen all that often.

But with him ... it was different. She felt like when he was with her, he added something that she couldn't just make on her own. She liked to think that she was giving him something he needed as well. He certainly seemed to want to be around her all the time. She had a hard time believing that all of his devotion to her was just because he was supposed to be protecting her. He had been tasked with protecting Akane in the past, and she hadn't seen him as focused on her little sister like he was on her. She hoped ... she _hoped_ that his focus on her was because he felt a link to her, and it wasn't just duty.

She looked up at him and smiled as she reached a hand out for him. She just wanted to touch him, she had no other reason to reach out for him. He grabbed her hand and held it in his own warm hand. She liked the physical connection between them. She was starting to crave it. She knew she shouldn't be as attached to him as she felt already, but she couldn't help it. He had been living with them for a long time now, and she had been watching him and daydreaming of him being with her instead of Akane. Now that he _was_ with her, at least enough for them to be on a date, she found that it was even better than she had imagined it would be.

As long as he wasn't fighting or having his buttons pressed, he was a very polite and reserved person. He was extremely kind to her, and went out of his way to be nice to her, and to do things for her. He was loyal, and protective, and devoted and persistent. He kept trying, no matter what. He was, in a lot of ways, perfect for her.

Yes, he had some rough edges. He had a lot of gaps in his education, because his awful father had raised him. But just because he hadn't learned some things yet, didn't mean he _couldn't_ learn them. If he was properly motivated, Ranma had proved time and time again that he could learn pretty much anything, and quickly.

He was also clever. She had seen him demonstrate that when he fought opponents he struggled against. She had also seen him demonstrate it just for her when she had asked him too. And he could go toe-to-toe with Riko and walk away from it. She was greatly looking forward to the surprises he had promised for their date. She wondered if they were going to be clever surprises, or sweet ones?

She looked into his eyes and smiled. She could tell that he was trying not to stare at her, but his eyes kept ending up back on her whenever he could manage it. She had done all of the stuff she almost never did, to make herself look fancy for their date. She could tell he appreciated the effort she had made, a lot. His eyes were a lot wider than usual, when she caught him looking at her now. That made her smile.

When the train announced their stop a moment later for Shintomicho station, her heart fluttered. This was it, it was really happening, they were about to be on their date for real. He looked down at her and smiled as he flexed his hand around hers. She smiled back and allowed him to pull her up into his arms even though the train was still moving. He didn't sway with the motion of the train like everyone else did. He was rock-solid.

She slid into his warm arms and luxuriated in the feel of her silk dress sliding against his silk shirt. She couldn't help herself from rubbing side to side a little bit and enjoying the silky feeling of the fabrics against each other. He smiled at her and she winked back at him.

As soon as the train started to slow down for their stop, his arm tightened around her waist and kept her secure against him as everyone else around them shifted forward with the inertia of the train, then rocked backwards again once the train had finished braking.

The doors opened and passengers started streaming in and out of the train. He waited for a moment, then started backing up towards the nearest door, with her still in his arms. She had ridden the train many times before, and she knew how to get on and off without too much trouble. She got jostled sometimes, but who didn't on the trains in Tokyo?

He didn't, apparently. Nobody touched him as he backed up at an easy pace towards the doors. She tried to focus on what he was doing to make people stay out of his way, but as far as she could tell, he wasn't doing anything with his Ki. People just, for whatever reason, didn't want to be in his way. _Kind of like how people had been around Mom_ , she realized. She wondered if it was some aspect of the Art that she just didn't understand yet?

She allowed him to lead her off the train in his arms. She felt kind of silly, but at the same time she was proud to be with someone who commanded such respect from others around them. She knew it was childish, but she didn't care right now.

People were staring at them. The kind of open affection he was showing for her in public was very unusual for Tokyo in general, especially in a crowded train station. Younger people weren't paying much attention to them. Older people were openly frowning at them. She knew he didn't care. She would have cared if she had been with anyone else but him. With him ... she felt the need to take risks and to break the rules. She couldn't explain it, but that was how she felt. It was like a surging electricity in her chest, it made her feel like she could do anything, and that she should.

Up until fairly recently, Ranma had been more shy and reserved around women than anyone else she knew. She realized that their encounter in the hedge maze, and her tentative commitment to him, along with their exchanged promises, had triggered something in him. But, it was still amazing to see him behaving the way he was now. He didn't do it around the rest of the family, just when they were alone together, but it was still remarkable progress.

She idly wondered if he had been like this on his date with Akane. She quickly shut that thought process down, though. She did _not_ want to think of him with Akane. That would just stir up all kinds of unresolved problems.

Instead, she luxuriated in the feeling of their silk clothing rubbing together as he led her off the train. A few moments later they were standing together alone in a sea of people. Most of the people around them were dressed in black, brown or gray business suits, even the women. His bright blue shirt, and her red and white dress stood out in the sea of people like fireworks did against the night sky. She loved that.

"So, where are we going first?" She asked him quietly as she looked up at him in his arms and smiled radiantly with happiness.


	40. I'm Saying Yes!

[soundtrack for this one: _Brand-new World,_ by **Nishizawa Kōsō (西沢幸奏)** ]

"You'll see." He said with a small smile.

Nabiki grinned back at him. She loved getting surprises. "Well, let's go then." She said happily as she swung out to the side of him so he still had her right arm twined in his left arm, but her left was now free.

He nodded and started walking with her. The direction he chose was to the North end of the station. The crowds were typical Tokyo crowds, there were a lot of people, but they had no trouble moving through them. As they walked away the automatic gates that protected the train tracks closed, and the train pulled out of the station a moment later. People were rushing back and forth across their path. She looked around the little train station and smiled. It wasn't remarkable at all. There were the usual overhead fluorescent lights, the gleaming pillars set with marble wraps stood at regular intervals, and there were little sign posts with schedules and maps along with the occasional small rows of blue plastic chairs to sit in interspersed between the pillars. In short, it was an unremarkable train station. But she was in it with Ranma on her first date with him, and for some reason that made it seem magical.

"Where are we going?" She asked as they maneuvered towards the exit that would bring them to the street-level.

"You'll see." He repeated with a smile.

"How far away from here will I see?" She asked glibly. She was more worried about the hem of her dress dragging in the street than anything else, since she was wearing sensible shoes.

"About fifteen minutes." He said with a smile.

She nodded and reached down and pulled up the hem of her dress a bit and tucked her arm around it so that it wasn't obvious she was holding the hem up, and smiled back at him as they walked.

It wasn't very obvious, but if someone was _really_ watching them, they would notice that the crowds were avoiding them. Whatever it was about him that caused people to not want to be in his way, was still in affect. The crowds were near them, but nobody came inside their space. She made a mental note to ask him about it later. Whatever it was he was doing, was something she absolutely wanted to master.

They emerged on the street level a moment later, and she looked around. She had never been to the area they were in before. But she was pretty sure they were heading to the Ginza. She had been _there_ before, but not from the direction they were coming from. They were on a standard Tokyo street surrounded by tall narrow buildings. The Strip of sidewalk they were on actually had a road on both sides of it, and it was more of a little island. Ranma set out without hesitation towards the North-West and she walked easily next to him, surrounded by the lovely chaos of the city.

"You seem like you know where you're going. Have you been here before?" She asked.

He shook his head and smiled nervously while he looked around at the street signs. "Nope. I just studied some maps beforehand. That's something I had to do on the road with Pop a lot, so I'm pretty used to it." He said softly as he scanned the street for where he was taking them.

She noticed that his eyes were also drifting upwards sometimes, and he was staying very close to her. She wanted to believe that it was just because he wanted to be close to her, but she knew that wasn't the reason. Well, it at least wasn't the whole reason.

"Are you worried about the Amazons?"

"Nah. I think they were bluffin'. They aren't gonna attack you if I'm with you, and even if I wasn't with ya, Shampoo never seemed like the type of person who would attack someone who couldn't defend themselves."

"But ... what about what Shampoo said this morning?"

"I dunno, she may have been tellin' the truth, but if so ... where are they? Day's almost over, and they haven't done nothin'. It was probably just another one of her tricks." He said confidently.

"So you haven't seen any sign of them?" She asked hopefully. He was quiet for a moment after that which prompted her to look up at him quizzically.

"Actually...yeah, I think one of them is tryin' to follow us." He said quietly. She knew that the expression on her face had shifted to one of alarm. "It's probably just Shampoo though. She used to do that even before all this started, she'd just follow me around and watch me. It was kinda creepy, but I got used to it." He hurried to reassure her.

She opened her mouth to argue with him. Then slowly closed it. Even if he was wrong, there wasn't really much she could expect him to do about it. He couldn't go chase them down and leave her alone. Well he could, but she knew he wouldn't. So she just decided to let the matter be for now and to trust him.

They didn't say a lot to each other for a while as they made their way through the city. She could tell he was nervous, and if she was being honest with herself, she was nervous as well. This wasn't hanging out with her friends at lunch. This wasn't him guarding her. This was a romantic date, it was serious. The only reason for either of them to be with each other at the moment, instead of safe at home, was because they were trying to figure out if there was a future in their relationship or not. There was a nagging voice in the back of her head telling her that it wasn't going to work. She was ignoring that voice.

As they made their way to Ranma's secret destination, they had to cross one little street, then a while later a divided, much larger street. It was probably best that neither of them really knew what to say to each other at the moment, as the sounds of the city and the traffic were very loud.

Not that the cars were a problem. Whenever they crossed the street, even cars would shy away from them. She was sure it was him, and not her. They were walking through Tokyo in their own little tiny bubble that extended outward from them about a quarter of a meter. It wasn't much, but it was still weird to her. Usually when she was in Tokyo she ended up in the crush of the crowd along with everyone else. Normally the crowds didn't touch each other, but there were usually only centimeters to millimeters to spare between each person. She knew it was immature, but the sense of pride she had by being with him and the respect he seemed to command, was growing inside her.

Ranma was doing his very best to be polite and cultured with her. She knew that a lot of it was just stuff he had picked up from movies and television and comics. A lot of it he didn't do very well. But, it was still nice that he was trying. One of the things he was doing, was whenever they encountered less space on the sidewalk, and they had to walk single-file for a while, he always insisted she went first. And when they had gone through one of the pedestrian gates, he had insisted on holding it open for her. All of that was behavior that was very unlike him. Long term, she didn't want him acting fake like that around her. But, in the short term, she didn't want to spoil the mood of the date by telling him to stop.

"We there yet?" She asked him, only semi-teasingly. Even in flats, she wasn't really dressed for long walks.

He looked over at her and smiled. "Actually, yes. It's just down the block." He said as he nodded down the street. She looked around and smiled. They were indeed entering the Ginza district. She was in her element. The neighborhood they were in had a Tiffany's, a Gucci, several Department Stores, and various classy boutiques. The clean slate stone square paved sidewalks were extra wide to accommodate all of the shoppers that visited the area. There were billboards up on the buildings, both digital and traditional. The smell of amazing food from the restaurants nearby carried on the wind. There were decorations up in some of the stores, and a sense of whimsy was all around them.

The Ginza businesses tried very hard to give shoppers the idea that all of their dreams could come true if they spent enough money there. There were even little trees planted in some sections of the sidewalk to make people feel more at ease and natural.

"We're here." He said softly next to her, and brought her out of her reverie.

She looked over at him and blinked. They were still standing on the sidewalk. He smiled and pointed across the street. The building he was pointing at was tall and narrow. It was covered in frosted glass, and had rectangles of different sizes and widths, made out of some sort of silvery material, spaced eclectically across the face of it. About a quarter of the way up the building in giant silver lettering was the word TASAKI.

She looked up at him and gasped. "Tasaki? You mean, the jewelry store?" She asked in disbelief.

"Yup. Address Five Chome Seven Five, this is the place." He said as he led her to the nearest crosswalk just down the street.

"But ... Ranma ... what are you...?" She tried to ask. She absolutely was _not_ going to let him spend the little bit of money he had, to buy her jewelry. It was sweet, but it wasn't appropriate. Her old self might have accepted. Her new self wouldn't allow it.

"You'll see." He said softly.

"Ranma, you can't—"

"You'll see, don't worry." He said with a smile and a wink. She sighed and nodded. They crossed the street and made their way back down to where the Tasaki building was. Even the building was swanky. It made her dizzy just thinking of the money it represented.

He held the door open for her, and gestured for her to go inside with a large smile on his face. _He seems awfully proud of himself. Does he know something I don't know?_ She thought as she cautiously walked into the lobby of the store while she looked back at him curiously. The store smelled lightly of wood polish, and a very subtle cherry scent. The lighting was typical diffused up-lighting around the jewelry, and a mixture of natural and pin-point LED lighting in recessed alcoves in the ceiling over the areas customers could walk.

There was a hollow glass column right in front of her with a display case inside showing the latest hot piece from the Tasaki line. The walls to her left and right had been designed to look like exploding puzzle pieces with accent lighting behind them to enhance the effect. There were more of the rectangles beside the door, now with glass filling the inside of the rectangles, and warm wood tone paint instead of metal. There was a store directory set into the marble column to the left, next to the courtesy counter. The directory had been carved into the stone, and then covered with a sheet of glass. It looked very modern and elegant.

The floor was a brilliantly polished wood that was reflecting the light from overhead, creating an optical illusion of light coming from the floor as well. There was an escalator leading to the next floor of the store to the immediate left of the main doorway.

Ranma came up behind her and stood to her side. She looked over at him nervously. She didn't know what he was planning, but she hoped he wasn't going to do something...embarrassing. He was smiling at her. He held his hand out to her. She took it gently and allowed him to pull her further into the store. He headed straight towards the back of the ground floor, like he knew where he was going.

As they walked, she continued her survey of the store. The wall to her left wasn't a wall, but sheets of glass that had been lit to make it seem like beams of light were criss-crossing inside of it. It had tables with glass cases on them showcasing more jewelry.

The wall to her right had insets every twenty meters or so with a mannequin bust showing off necklaces. In front of the wall were standard wood paneled cases with glass display cases atop them, showcasing the latest and greatest pieces of jewelry they sold. There was a deep red luxury carpet immediately in front of the counters. In short, the store looked both spartan and modern as well as luxurious. It was the kind of store she had spent a lot of time in over the years. The big question was ... why had he brought her to it?

 _It can't be ..._ that _... can it?_ She thought dizzily as she watched him out of the corner of her eye. _Why did he bring me to a jewelry store? He doesn't have a lot of money, and I don't wear a lot of jewelry. The only reason most guys ever set foot into a jewelry store is—_ she gasped softly to herself. He noticed and looked over at her. She smiled shakily to reassure him. _Is he ... is he going to propose? Is he going to ask me to marry him for real? So soon? Is he making his choice? No, there's no way that's what this is. Is he picking me? He isn't going to pick me, he's going to pick Akane. But ... I'm here with him, right? What other reason could we be here for?_ She thought rapidly to herself as her excitement and self-doubt crashed around in her mind.

He stopped near the back wall, in front of the left-side counter that was arranged in a graceful curve. There was a doorway in the rear left corner with a staircase curving up and down, and out of sight. Standing right past the doorway was a sign that read STAFF ONLY.

She just stood there next to him nervously. Her hands were shaking, as were her legs, and her stomach was sending her urgent signals to sit down, or it wouldn't be responsible for what it did.

 _Is this really happening? It can't be! He's not this brave ... is he? But ... I told him that he had to ask me for real, didn't I? And Akane didn't come back from_ her _date with a ring on her finger... didn't he say something about having to pick up a surprise for me?_ She thought quickly as she watched him and tried very hard to control her breathing which she knew was coming faster and faster as the excitement and anticipation built up in her.

 _If he asks me, I'm saying yes!_ She thought resolutely to herself. She wasn't screwing around. If he offered to make the commitment to her, then she was going to take it, and do her best to make it work. She wasn't entirely sure _how_ she was going to do that, but she would figure that out later.

A young woman wearing a skirt business-suit walked out of the staff-only doorway, smiled at them, and went to stand in front of them behind the counter. She could tell just by the knowing smile on the young woman's face that the staff member was thinking they didn't belong there, and were most likely kids playing at being adults.

The young woman stopped in front of Ranma and bowed politely as she greeted them and eyed them up and down. She could tell the young woman thought they made an unusual couple. She also wasn't entirely thrilled with the lingering looks the young woman kept sweeping over him. Ranma, of course, was oblivious to all of it. And guys wondered why women sometimes appeared to be cranky for no apparent reason. The reasons were out there, most of the guys just refused to watch for them. She gave the young woman a tight smile, and stepped closer to Ranma and hugged his arm. The young woman got the message and stopped leering at him.

"What can I do for you today?" She asked him sweetly.

"A friend of mine has something waiting for me here." Ranma said.

"Of course, sir. May I ask who your friend is?" The young woman purred at him in a silky voice.

"Tajima." Ranma said simply.

"Tajima ... who, sir?" The woman asked softly.

"Oh, um, I think he said it was, To... Toshi ... Toshikazu, yeah, that was it." Ranma said.

"Toshikazu Tajima?" The young woman asked with a noticeable dip in her voice.

"Yeah, that's him." Ranma said with a smile.

"D-director Toshikazu Tajima? As in, the owner of the building, and the CEO of Tasaki Global?" The young woman asked incredulously. She could tell the young woman was trying to fight it, but a smug smile of disbelief was forming on the young woman's lips.

 _Oh ... I hope Ranma isn't just trying to impress me. That would be ... embarrassing._ She thought nervously as she watched him and stayed silent. She had absolutely nothing she could add to what was being said, she still didn't know what was going on.

"I guess. That's what he told me his name was anyway. He told me he would send something for me here, to the Ginza location of Tasaki. Told me to show you this to pick it up." Ranma said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a slightly dingy looking business card with some writing on it.

The young woman looked at it, and her mouth fell open in shock as she almost tripped over herself trying to bow deeply to him at the same moment that she rushed away while she called out over her shoulder. "Please wait one moment, sir! I need to get my manager to handle this!" The young woman said in a panicked voice as she sprinted away from them, ran through the staff-door, and clattered up the stairs.

She looked at him with wide eyes. "Ranma, what are you—"

"You'll see." He said softly with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Yeah, but what—"

"You'll see." He repeated happily.

 _Oh my God, it's really happening! He's going to propose!_ She thought excitedly to herself. It was a good thing she was holding on to him, she suddenly didn't trust her legs.

He smiled at her as they waited, and she smiled back at him weakly. Her heart was hammering in her chest. Since she was still hugging his arm, she was sure he felt it. All thoughts of the rest of their date had fled her mind. _If he asks me to marry him, I am saying yes on the spot, to hell with the rest of the date, and we aren't going home tonight!_ She vowed to herself as she chewed on her lower lip gently in anticipation.

She was running through the various ways he might propose, and how she would say yes. Should she just smile and nod? Should she say yes loudly so other people could hear him succeed? Should she say nothing and just hug him and whisper that she loved him? _It doesn't really matter I guess. He is definitely getting kissed, though_. She vowed to herself. Promises or not, an engagement ring earned a kiss, and it was going to be even bigger than the one he had gotten in the hedge maze earlier. _He's going to need an oxygen infusion when I'm done with him_. She thought happily to herself as she squeezed his arm tightly and tried to contain her excitement.

A distinguished looking older gentleman came into view as he slowly descended the stairs and walked towards them regally, with a dignified gait. This was not a man who hurried, not for anyone like them anyway. He wasn't very tall, and he was going gray at his temples, and was dressed in a _very_ expensive-looking suit. His noble bearing and demeanor, and the way the young woman they had first spoken to was meekly following behind him, told her everything she needed to know about him. He was the highest ranking person on the premises.

The older gentleman stopped in front of Ranma and looked him up and down dismissively. Even dressed in his nicer clothes, Ranma wasn't in a suit, and his appearance didn't scream money. The man, whom she assumed was the general manager, inclined his head to Ranma at the bare minimum angle of politeness, then fixed his eyes to a point on the wall behind Ranma, and spoke past him. "Yes, sir? How may I help you? My associate said something about your _friend_ sending something here for you to pickup?"

Ranma grinned and nodded. She had a feeling he didn't know he was being spoken down to. She was getting ready to jump in and eviscerate the little man, when Ranma spoke again confidently. "Yup, Mister Tajima said he was gonna send it here."

"I ... see. And, your _friend_ , Mister Tajima, my associate says you have an article of his to show me?" The manager said slowly, as if speaking to a child as he slid an almost bored gaze back on to Ranma.

"Sure, here you go." Ranma said as he held the business card up again.

She had been reading people for a long time, so she was ready for it when it happened. The manager betrayed no reaction at all anywhere ... except his eyes. They got just a little bit wider, for only a moment, as Ranma presented the card. She looked from the manager back to Ranma, and back again. Ranma was standing there easily with a soft smile on his face. The manager was mostly unreadable, but she could tell he was surprised. The young woman they had dealt with earlier was keeping her eyes on her shoes.

"May I ... may I see that, please ... sir?" The manager said in a much more respectful voice.

"I guess, but I want it back when you're done." Ranma said as he handed over the card.

She got a quick glimpse of it as he handed it over. There was something written on the back of it, and a signature. The front was a very sparse single line of text. It was the kind of simple and plain card that a _very_ powerful person would carry.

The manager visibly paled as he turned the card over in his hands reverently then handed it back gently to Ranma. She could tell immediately that the manager's entire opinion of the encounter had just changed. He bowed deeply to Ranma, once Ranma had taken the card back. "Sir, if I may, can you tell me what he told you to say if asked about the card?" The manager said in a stiff, prideful voice that was also tinged with fear.

"Oh, yeah, um, he told me ta say, Shun—Shunsaki? No ... Shunsaku, Shunsaku one ten five four, yeah, that was it." Ranma said after a moment's pause.

The manager's mouth fell open. And he bowed again to cover his surprise. "Please wait one moment, sir, while we get your package." The manager said as his face was still hidden by his bow. The manager snapped his fingers and pointed urgently to the staff-only staircase as he rose from his bow. The young woman, who had been doing her best to try to be invisible, squeaked and dashed off in that direction, presumably to get the package.

"Sure." Ranma said as he looked over at her and smiled while he squeezed her hand. She smiled back. She couldn't believe this was happening. _I guess Ranma has secrets too_. She thought in wonder as she watched everything unfold in front of her. She couldn't imagine a more satisfying way for him to propose to her at the moment, than making that stuffy manager eat crow after his dismissive display earlier.

"Please ... please, sir ... please accept my most humble apologies, sir. Please tell Mister Tajima that we here at the Tasaki flagship location have nothing but respect for him and his friends." The manager said in what she was sure was a cold sweat.

Ranma, bless him, clearly had no idea what the man was talking about. _I am going to have to teach him about subtext once we're married_. She thought happily as she watched Ranma eye the manager with a bit of surprise in his body language. "I ... uh ... sure, if I get a chance, I will." He replied slowly, with confusion evident in his voice.

The manager bobbed his head up and down rapidly at that as his hands flashed rapid hand signals to the staff behind them. Moments later, several additional young women were standing to either side of them, holding trays of various snacks and beverages. Two young men arrived a moment later, each of them carrying chairs that were clearly meant for VIP guests. They set the chairs behind each of them gently, right in the middle of the walkway. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed one of the men who had brought the chairs hurry to the front door, and close and lock it as he changed their sign to closed. Both of the men took up station by the door and escalator.

 _Wow, they are rolling out the red carpet treatment_. She thought in approval as she helped herself to a small can of soda, and happily sat down in one of the chairs. Her shaking had stopped, but she wasn't going to ignore a VIP chair brought for her in the middle of the sales floor of a huge global jewelry company's flagship location. Ranma looked back at her, and around at all of the people suddenly willing to serve him based on nothing but his friendship with a man she was sure he'd had no idea was the CEO of the company. She smiled at him and gestured to the other chair.

He smiled back and shook his head slightly as he remained standing with his hands clasped easily behind his back in a military stance. She gazed up at him and imagined him standing next to her at her wedding in that stance, and grinned. She could picture it easily. Hell, all they needed to get married right here and now was someone with the official paperwork to make it happen. She was sure if she snapped her fingers and told the manager to send someone to run to the nearest courthouse to bring back a judge to marry them, the little man would find a way to make it happen. _Probably shouldn't get ahead of myself, though._ She thought happily as she gazed at Ranma and tried to contain her excitement. _He hasn't actually proposed yet._ She reminded herself to try to tamp down on her excitement as she waited.

The young woman, who had been sent to fetch the package, stumbled back around the corner then. In her shaking hands the young woman was carrying a fairly large metal box. It was almost as big as her torso. The nervous staff member ran up to the manager and handed it to him. He yanked it out of her hands like he was taking a weapon away from a child. He glared at the young woman, and she shrank away from him nervously and melted out of sight behind the rest of the staff standing around herself and Ranma.

Ranma perked up noticeably at the arrival of his package. He stepped forward towards the counter and raised his arm up to grab the box. The manager smiled nervously at him and stepped back to keep the box out of Ranma's reach. Ranma frowned at that.

"F-forgive me, sir. But, I am sure, someone like you, knows I have to ... h-have to verify who you are first." The manager said in a strangled voice. Ranma shrugged and nodded. The manager looked down at something written on the outside of the box then looked back up at Ranma. "Could you tell me, please, sir ... your name?"

"It's Ranma. Ranma Saotome." He said simply. The manager's eyes widened a bit as Ranma obviously confirmed what had been written down. She was sure the manager was having a hard time reconciling his first impression of Ranma, which happened to be correct, against who and what Ranma clearly knew.

"And, please sir ... just one more question, can you please verify what is in the package?" The manager whispered.

Ranma looked back at her with mild panic showing on his face. She smiled at him. She had known he wanted it to be a surprise, but she didn't care if it was a surprise. She smiled at him and nodded that it was all right.

He squinted at her and frowned, then smiled as his face lit up. He clearly had an idea. She watched with amusement as he beckoned the manager over. She had to stifle a laugh when Ranma coaxed the stuffy little man to lean over the counter, and then bent down to whisper in his ear.

Whatever he said to the manager seemed to satisfy him though. The manager straightened up and set the box on the counter, and reached into his pocket and pulled out an ornate key on a chain. With a soft, fluid motion, he slid the key into the lock on the box, and turned it. There was a small click. Then the manager swiftly turned the key back and hurriedly returned it to his pocket. She had a feeling that even knowing about the key was considered a company secret. She made a mental note about that for possible use later.

The manager reached into the box to pull something out. Ranma hurried up to the manager and took whatever it was the older gentleman handed to him. She couldn't see, as his body was blocking her view from the angle she was at in her chair. Just as she was thinking about getting up so she could see, he turned and smiled at her. In his hand was a small white box with the word _Tasaki_ emblazoned across the top in silver lettering, and a silver bar was laid under the lettering to underscore it. There was a sea-green tint to the trim of the box. He smiled at her and slipped it into his pocket as he made his way back over to her.

 _I guess he isn't going to propose right here in the store. That makes sense, I doubt he thought he was going to get this kind of treatment, and he has somewhere in mind to do it_. She thought as he walked back over to her. He stopped in front of her and held his hand out to her. She smiled at him widely and let him raise her gently to her feet. She rose as gracefully as she knew how. She was going to show these people that there was more to Ranma than his appearance, and just the fact that she was with him was proof of that.

She reached into herself and pulled out all of the tricks and tactics she had built up over the years dealing with the world of high finance, corporate politics, and cutthroat business. Most of it was very subtle, but people like that stuffy little manager would pick up on it instantly. She kept her eyes on the manager and skewered him with a stare she reserved for people who had double-crossed her. She held herself in a poise that screamed _I am not someone to be questioned, I am someone to be obeyed_.

She could tell the manager recognized that she knew how to play the game, and that she considered herself to be of a higher rank than him. He gulped and bowed to her deeply then rose abruptly and clapped his hands loudly and issued several additional orders to his people with silent hand signals. Even though she was annoyed with him, she had to respect him for that. Training his staff to know and respond to hand-signals was a very elegant way to handle issuing orders to staff without having to shout.

She eyed the staff benignly, they had nothing to do with their manager's behavior. That didn't stop her from holding her head at just the right angle to show her station, nor did it stop her subtle hand and body language that showed she wanted them to get out of her way. To their credit, the staff responded immediately and almost leaped out of the way. They lined up to either side of them as more young men rushed up to move the chairs out of their way.

Ranma looked over at her with wide eyes. She knew he was picking up on some of what was going on. She smiled happily to him. For him, she dropped all her masks briefly and allowed the joy in her heart to show in her eyes and on her face for a moment, then she looked away from him again and slammed her masks back into place. Once they were out of the store they could exchange secrets, but for now she wanted his exit to be dignified, and even feared. She wanted that small little man sweating for a week, waiting for a reprimanding phone call that was never going to come. She knew that even after she explained what had happened to Ranma, he wasn't the kind of guy who would seek out his friend just to get some manager in trouble for being rude. She loved that about him.

The staff followed a couple of paces behind them, and remained in their two lines. When they reached the front entrance, the young men who had been guarding the door rushed to open it for them. Then they bowed deeply to them and held the bows. The rest of the staff bowed as well. She smiled at them then sought out the manager with her eyes as well. She locked eyes with him and held his gaze for a moment, then tipped her chin up and looked away from him. She saw him, out of the corner of her eye, bow to them slowly and with a slight tremor, as Ranma gently led her through the door.

Then they were on the street alone together again. He pulled her to walk further up the street, and she happily went with him. As soon as they were out of the sight of the jewelry store she dropped her act and leaned into him and sighed happily.

He looked over at her and blinked. She smiled in response. She knew he had questions, but she had her own questions she wanted answered first. But before any of that, she wanted him to give her the ring, and ask her to marry him.

They paused at an intersection and she smiled eagerly at him. Across the street to the left was a nice little mini-park, the kind that showed up in Tokyo every couple of blocks or so. They were just little places with a few trees, and a fountain and some benches to give the office workers somewhere to experience nature occasionally. He seemed to be leading them to the park. It was a lovely choice for a proposal.

When the light changed, they crossed the street, but instead of heading left, he turned right. She looked at him in confusion. "Aren't we going to that little park?" She asked with a tilt of her head over her shoulder.

He looked back and then at her and shook his head. "Nah, fountain. Water. You know, me and water ... not a great mix." He said in an embarrassed tone.

Well, that made sense. "Well, then, where?" She asked, genuinely confused.

"Almost there, you'll see." He said calmly to her. She nodded, and willed herself to calm down. He was going to propose to her in his own way, in his own time. That was the big mistake that all of the girls except Akane had made. They'd all tried to force him on to their timetable. She had to be patient with him.

"Here we go." Ranma said to her with a smile as he stopped next to the building they had been walking along.

She looked around in surprise, then shrugged. If he wanted to propose to her randomly in the middle of the city next to an anonymous building on the sidewalk, she was fine with that. She looked at him expectantly and waited as calmly as she could. Meanwhile, the dragon inside her was climbing the walls with excitement. She hoped he would hurry up, she didn't know how long she was going to be able to pretend to be calm and detached.

He turned around and pressed a square on the frame of the building, and a door opened. She blinked and realized they were standing next to an elevator. It was one of the types that was built into the side of the building in a glass column. She had been so focused on him that she'd missed it.

He gestured into the elevator, and she nodded and walked into it. He followed her in and let the door close behind himself. They were alone in the elevator. He pressed the button for the roof then moved to stand behind her. She couldn't help herself. She reached back for his hands with both of her hands. As soon as he grasped them, she yanked him forward and wrapped his arms around her waist. He took the hint and pulled her into a hug from behind as they rose quickly into the sky. She looked out at the city as it dropped away from below them, and smiled. _Now THIS is more like it._ She thought to herself happily as she sank into his warmth and sighed happily as her heart rate increased as they rose into the sky.

They reached the roof moments later, and the elevator dinged. She tore her eyes away from the impressive vista of the city stretched out in front of her and spun around in his arms. The urge to kiss him rose up _powerfully_ inside her, but she fought it back. _First proposal, THEN kisses, SO MANY KISSES!_ She thought happily to herself. He smiled at her and started walking her backwards to the door. She was rapidly approaching the limits of what she could endure of her self control. She was standing at the top of the world with Ranma on a date, and he had planned surprises for her, and it was wonderful, and she never wanted it to end. She spun around in his arms again and looked out at the city for a while as she tried to calm down. The view was beautiful, the city was beautiful, the moment they were sharing ... was beautiful.

She pulled in a shuddering breath and waited for him to make his move. She didn't have to wait long. He loosened his arms around her and gently spun her back around to face him. Facing him, she could see that they were standing in a nice rooftop garden that had been setup for whatever company owned the building. There were trees, and benches, and tables, but no water — he had probably had to search for a while to find a garden with no water features. It was still lovely though. He smiled and walked backwards with her in his arms. He angled them towards a nearby cherry blossom tree. It wasn't in bloom, but it was still pretty. It had a lone lover's bench standing under it.

Once they were under the tree, he slid his arms from around her, and stepped back so he was just holding her hands. He smiled at her and let go of her left hand to reach into his pocket. Her heart immediately rose into her throat as her stomach dropped to her knees.

 _Oh my God, it's really happening! He's doing it!_ She thought in shock and joy at the same time. Her breath was coming in sharp little gasps, she was so excited. He grinned at her and pulled out the box from the store and held it out to her. He didn't make a speech, nor did he get down on one knee, he just handed it to her and smiled.

Her heart was racing. She took the box in her shaking hand and held it for a moment and gently examined it. She noticed that the Kanji 榊 and the number one were written lightly on the bottom in silver pen. She could only think of one reason why someone would have written _sacred one_ on the box. She looked into his eyes and smiled, then quickly slid her other hand out of his and reached for the box to open it. She eagerly lifted the top of the box up, and gasped.


	41. I'll Wait Here

[soundtrack for this one: _Seven Doors_ , by **ZAQ** ]

_You'll just know._

Nabiki heard her mother's voice in her head as she looked up at Ranma and fought back tears. Emotions were tearing around inside of her that she didn't really know how to deal with.

The wind on the top of the roof picked up her hair and blew it around on her face. Her hands were cold and shaking a bit as she looked back down inside the jewelry box Ranma had given her. Her heart was hammering in her chest and she was getting dangerously close to hyperventilating. She looked up at Ranma with searching eyes and found him smiling happily at her.

She looked back at the box in her hands, and mirrored his smile as she shakily stepped backwards to find the bench under the tree she was standing under with him. As soon as the backs of her knees felt it, she sat down slowly as she cradled the box in her lap and looked up at him again in wonder.

"Do you like it?" Ranma asked her softly as he walked forward to stand closer to her.

She nodded at him urgently and opened her mouth to say something, but no words would come. She looked down at the box, then back up at him again and tried again. "I ... I don't ... what ... Ranma ... how?" She whispered.

"I know people too." He said softly with a shy smile. "You really like it?" He asked.

"I do, but it is a very extravagant gift, I don't think I can accept it, Ranma." She said with regret as she lifted out the matched set of jade earrings gently from the box and cupped them in her hand and smiled at him. She was doing everything she could to hide her disappointment that there hadn't been a ring in the box.

"But ... I want you to have 'em." He said softly.

"Ranma ... do you know what these are?" She asked him softly as she smiled at him and held his gift close to her heart in her clasped hands. Even though they weren't a ring, the earrings were an unbelievably nice present. _They're more than I deserve._ She chastised herself.

"Yeah, they're the jade earrings you told me you wanted." He said proudly.

"Yes they—... wait, what?" She asked him as he managed to derail her.

"You told me you wanted them." He repeated softly.

"I did? When?" She asked, genuinely confused.

"You remember back when Shampoo wiped Akane's memory?"

"Yes..."

"And I couldn't figure out how to fix it, so I was gonna go to China to get the shampoo I needed to restore her memory, and then you caught me packin'—"

"And I asked you for presents." She completed for him as her memory came back of the event. She remembered now. Kasumi had asked for tea, Daddy had asked for cigarettes and sake, and his own dad had held up one of his stupid signs and asked for hair growth formula. And she ... she had asked for jade earrings, and a Chinese silk—"

She smiled at her foolishness and the way she had treated him, then winked at him. Now was not the time to beat herself up for her past behavior. She would do that later. "Well, where's my silk dress then?" She joked, trying to lighten the mood. He smiled at her but didn't say anything.

 _I swear ... if he has the dress up here waiting for me, I am never going to forgive him for upstaging me._ She groused to herself as she tried to figure out what to say to him. As she did so, she could feel a huge smile growing on her face, and laughter building up inside of herself.

He looked at her quizzically as she tried to fight back the laughter, and failed. She let herself sink down to lay on the bench and laughed at herself, and her foolish pride, and her embarrassment.

 _OF COURSE_ _he wasn't about to propose to me!_ _What was I thinking? He wasn't just going to whisk me off to the city and ask me to marry him with his relationship with Akane unresolved. If I want it, I'm going to have to earn it, and figure out how to end things between them ... somehow._ She thought to herself, chagrined.

She blinked her eyes and found Ranma standing over her, looking concerned. She smiled at him and stuck her tongue out, then whispered to him in a happy voice. "You bastard!"

He blinked at her. "What? Why? What did I do?" He asked in confusion. Just the expression on his face was funny enough to get her laughing again. He really had no idea of what he'd done to her. It was just so mind-numbingly sweet and also exasperating at the same time, that she had to laugh or she'd probably punch him.

She opened her eyes again and grinned up at him. He was sideways to her as she lay on the bench, and that just made everything seem even funnier to her. After a while, she felt strong enough to talk about it, and beckoned him closer to her. He leaned down until his face was just centimeters from her.

"Ranma ... it's not considered very nice to take a girl you're dating, who has already talked to you about marriage, to a jewelry store, and make a big deal about picking up a fancy jewelry box for her." She whispered to him.

"What? Why?" He asked in genuine confusion.

She reached up and put her hands gently on either side of his face and pulled him down like she was going to kiss him. He allowed her to pull him down easily, almost eagerly. At the last minute she turned his face, and brought his ear up to her lips. "Because it's teasing." She whispered to him as she released him. He straightened up slowly and slid out of her grasp with confusion etched on his face.

"What ... what didja think ... what was the tease?" He asked.

"Think about it, Ranma." She said with a wink as she sat up and patted the bench next to her. He nodded and came to sit down next to her. She turned so her back was to him, and leaned up against him with a sigh as she opened her hands and looked down at the beautiful gift he had given her.

They were stunning examples of some of the finest jade she had ever seen, let alone held. She could tell just by looking at them, that they were Chinese Imperial jadeite. She held them up in the light and examined them, and sighed as she cupped them in her hands up to her heart again. Ranma probably didn't realize it, but he had arranged for his friend to get him, literally, the most expensive type and quality of jade on the market.

Her practiced eye could tell what she had in her hands was top quality jadeite. They had been fashioned into a teardrop style and they were set in a very nice eighteen or twenty four carat gold setting. But the jade was the show-stopper. The jade was almost transparent with a deep and rich emerald green color. That color was commonly called Imperial green jade. It was the shade of green that could easily reach billions of Yen in the marketplace for a large quantity of it. The jade she held in her hands was perfect. It was pure and vivid, it had no hints of other colors, and it glowed with an alluring brilliance, and was soft and smooth to the touch. The earrings had obviously been fashioned from premium cabochons. She knew for a fact that what she held in her hands could easily command a list price of one hundred to five hundred thousand Yen.

His gift wasn't as extravagant as buying her a car, but it was on the same level as flying her to Paris for dinner. She couldn't accept it, could she? She knew he hadn't bought it for her, his friend had arranged for it for him as a favor. She decided to ask him about it and she would take it from there.

She leaned into him harder and sighed happily as she reached back and grabbed one of his arms and pulled it around herself. He got the hint and shifted his position on the bench so he was straddling the bench and facing her. She scooted back on the bench so she was essentially sitting in his lap. He draped his warm arms around her and held her, as she leaned back into him. She held the earrings up to the light again and looked at them in appreciation.

"Ranma ... they're beautiful. Thank you so much for them ... but ... they're too nice, I don't think I can—"

"Why not?" He asked.

"Ranma ... this is Imperial green jade, it's crazy-valuable. China used to have a standing order for any and all jade like this, and they would get ... _cranky_ ... if that jade _wasn't_ sent to them. To this day it's one of the world's most expensive gems because of that. I would have been happy with some department store artificial jade that had been chemically treated to look nice. But you just had to go out and get me the real thing, didn't you?" She whispered to him in a voice that was a mix of awe and exasperation.

She had a nice surprise planned for him as well, but it didn't even come close to the unbelievable one he had arranged for her, both in terms of scale and monetary value. And he had said he had _two_ surprises planned for her. _I swear to God, if he got the dress too, I am siccing Riko on him._ She grumped to herself.

"But ... I want you to have 'em." He repeated himself.

She sighed and looked back at him over her shoulder and smiled. "You realize you're setting a dangerous precedent for yourself, right? If this is what you start out with on our very first date, I am going to expect this level of effort and extravagance from you for all future dates, and I will expect you to raise your effort even higher for special events like anniversaries too." She teased him.

He got a panicked look on his face for a moment, then hid it behind his own mask of self confidence and nodded at her seriously. She rolled her eyes at him and leaned back and bonked his chest with the back of her head. She tilted her head back and looked up at him while she rolled her eyes. "We need to work on your sense of humor, Ranma." She said crossly. She wanted him to play with her.

He smiled at her. "I'm just glad yours is comin' back." He said softly to her.

She sat up at that and looked at him quizzically. "What do you mean?" She asked.

"I ... it's just ... you've been real ... quiet, an' serious the last few days, ya know? I've been worried about ya." He said sincerely.

She leaned back away from him and tried to figure out if he was teasing her or not. The look in his eyes and his body language told her that he was serious though. She was confused by that.

 _Have I been losing myself lately? Does he have me that off balance?_ She looked back at her behavior over the last few days, and had to admit that she had been a lot more ... emotional ... and serious than she usually was. But ... did he like her when she was teasing and joking all the time?

"I ... you know ... I hadn't realized that. But I think you're right, Ranma. But ... I always thought ... you didn't like it when I was sarcastic and teased you and stuff..." She trailed off lamely and looked at him through her eyelashes as she hooded her eyes in embarrassment. They were talking about things she didn't even talk to Riko about. They were dancing perilously close to things she didn't even talk about with herself.

"I think you're fun when ya do that stuff." He said with a smile.

She looked up sharply at him and pulled in a strong breath then let it out slowly. She could feel something deep inside her straining again. He sometimes said things that made her want to figure out a way to stitch him to herself and make him a permanent part of her. Her emotions were roiling, but she fought them down and nodded shakily. "Okay, well, just remember, you asked for it." She said with a smile. He nodded back at her happily, then looked down at her hands which were still clasped tightly around the earrings, then he looked back up to her eyes with a plaintive cast to his own eyes. He wanted her to accept them.

She sucked in a shaky breath and nodded at him. He beamed at that and watched her expectantly. She grinned and decided to turn the tables on him as she reached over for his hand and pulled it towards her. He looked at her in confusion, but let her do it. She pulled his hand until it was almost to her chest, then she reached her other hand out and cupped his hand with it, and dropped the earrings into his hand.

His eyes widened in disappointment. Before he could speak though, she tilted her head to the side and brushed back her hair and exposed her left ear to him. "You want me to wear them, you put them on." She whispered to him.

She smiled happily to herself as she felt his normally very steady hands nervously fumbling around next to her ear as he tried to figure out how to put the earrings on her. She looked up to the sky through the leaves of the cherry blossom tree and watched the clouds lazily making their way through the late afternoon sky, then she closed her eyes and focused on how he was making her feel, and tried not to let it overpower her.

He eventually figured out to hold her earlobe gently with one hand while he lined up the earring post with the other, and he gently, very gently, slid the earring into place. She felt him slide the backing on to it soon after that. He didn't put it on tight enough, but that was all right, she would fix it when he was done.

She sighed and laid back against him and rested her head on his chest. Then she tilted her head to her left to angle her right ear towards him. She didn't pull back her hair though.

She waited quietly as she leaned up against him happily, and sucked on her lower lip in anticipation. As soon as his hand brushed her hair off her neck and away from her ear, she arched her back against him happily and sighed. It felt wonderful to have his warm hands do that. Most guys didn't know it, but a girl's hair could actually be quite sensual for her when played with against her skin, if she was in the mood. And, she was definitely in the mood.

She felt him flinch behind her, and knew he was confused by her reaction. She smiled happily at that. She would explain it to him later. She didn't want to ruin the moment right now by stopping to explain to him how girls worked. His hands were much more confident putting the second earring in, and he was done in moments. He had still been very gentle, though.

She tilted her head back so she could find his eyes with her own. She found them and locked eyes with him through her own hair. She smiled softly at him and willed him to understand. A moment later he did what she wanted and brushed her hair away from her eyes so she could see him clearly. She let out a little murmur of pleasure from the back of her throat as he played with her hair again.

She wanted to stay as she was with him for the rest of the day, but she had her own surprise for him, and she was curious what he had planned for the rest of the day as well. With a reluctant sigh, she sat up slowly from him and stood up from the bench. As soon as she was standing, she reached down for him and pulled him up to her. He rose quickly and stood next to her and held her hands eagerly.

She smiled at him and waited for him to take the lead. They were still on his part of the date, as they had agreed. So, it was up to him to set the pace and their destinations. He got her hint though, and walked with her back to the elevator. As they walked, she leaned into him happily. "Tell me about your friend, Tajima." She whispered.

"What do ya mean?"

"How do you know him? Why is he willing to do you such incredible favors?"

"Oh, that. Well ... I ran into him in China when Pop and I were on our way to Jusenkyo." He said simply.

When he didn't continue the story after several moments, she sighed and nudged him. "Details, Ranma, details." She prodded him.

"Um ... okay, well, there isn't much to tell. I had a bunch of souvenirs and stuff I was carryin' in some town Pop insisted we stop at, and I ran into him. Well, he ran into me actually. He knocked all my stuff down. Before I knew what was happenin', a bunch of people ran by and broke it all as they chased him."

"What did he do? Why were they chasing him?" She asked curiously.

"He said he drank from a well that the locals thought was sacred. But he didn't know that when he drank from it, the sign had fallen down."

"Oh. So ... how ..." She prompted him.

"Yeah, so anyway I ran after them. At the time, I was mostly just annoyed and kinda chasin' him too. He'd been the reason all my stuff got broke. But when they cornered him, I realized what was goin' on, and that he was in real trouble, so I helped him. It was Bushido." He said simply with a shrug.

"What did you do?" She asked carefully.

"Nothin' major, I squared off with the biggest one and parried everything he threw at me, then I tossed him back a bit to show him it wasn't worth his time. A couple of the other guys threw a couple of shots at me too, but I just ducked 'em. After that, Tajima was able to explain to them that he hadn't known it was a sacred well, and offered ta pay them to hire a priest to re-do whatever it is priests do to make a well sacred. It was a good thing he spoke Chinese. Since they couldn't get past me, they were suddenly willin' ta listen to him, and he was able to calm 'em down. And that was the end of it, nobody even got knocked out." He said calmly.

"Then why would he..." She asked.

He shrugged. "I woulda been happy enough with him just payin' to replace the stuff that got broke. It was only like a thousand Yen worth of stuff anyway." He said with confusion in his voice. She had a feeling she knew why Tajima had promised him a favor, but she wanted to hear it from him first.

Ranma pressed the call button on the elevator and while they waited for it to arrive, he finished his story. "I dunno why, but he told me he could get stuff to me from China whenever I wanted. He said that instead of replacing my stuff, I could just contact him and tell him what I wanted from China, and he would arrange for it to get sent here. He said not to worry about anything, and he'd take care of me, just like I'd taken care of him."

She blinked at him. "That must have been some impressive display you did for him when you saved him." She said with a smile as the elevator arrived with a ding. They stepped into it, alone again. Just like their ride up, she stepped in front of him and turned around so she was leaning her back against him. He wrapped his arms around her as she did it, and then she felt him lean over and press the button for the ground floor.

"It wasn't. I didn't even break a sweat, and it only took like a minute, tops." He said with some exasperation in his voice.

"So, when you contacted him for the jade..."

"Yeah, I called him, and he told me not to worry about it. Told me it was only a little thing, and he'd be happy to arrange it for me. I told him I could pay for it, if he could just get it here. He told me that money wasn't an issue, and that he needed to pay his debt to me before he'd accept my money." He said with a sigh.

"Wow Ranma, you have a CEO in your pocket." She joked as she looked back at him and grinned. "You should save your next favor for when you want to buy a house." She said happily as she turned back around to watch the view.

"I ain't acceptin' nothin' more from him. As far as I'm concerned, the debt's more 'an paid off. And I _told_ him to just get normal earrings. I had no idea he was gonna go out and get the stuff you told me he got." He said with some frustration in his voice.

She decided to help ease his conscious as the elevator dinged. They had reached the ground floor. She turned in his arms, leaned into him, and whispered into his ear.

"Trust me, Ranma, he feels like he is in your debt. As far as he's concerned, you saved his life, after he had broken your stuff. You didn't ask for a reward, you did it because it was the right thing to do. I know people like him. He has more money than he knows what to do with. You can only buy so many houses and cars and sets of clothes, Ranma. What you _can't_ buy is loyalty or good people. Those things are worth _far more_ to someone like your friend, than a few million Yen here or there.

"Frankly, the fact that you only asked him for what is, in his opinion, a little trinket, and only asked for him to get it, and said you would pay for it, probably only reinforced his opinion of you. If anything, he probably feels even more strongly like he wants to do things for you now. He probably thinks you looked him up once you got back to Japan, and realized who he was, and the resources he controlled.

"When you called in your favor, and only asked for such a small thing, you probably knocked him out of his chair. If you play your cards right, you could have him as a friend for life. Trust me, I know people like him, and I know how the favors business works." She said softly to him. 

She was pretty sure she knew the answers, but she wanted to ask a few more things anyway. "You didn't look him up, did you? You had no idea who he was until we were in that store, did you?" She asked him with a smile on her face. He shook his head no, and she grinned. Only Ranma wouldn't have bothered to look the guy up, Ranma was ... very special.

"So, where to next?" She asked as he leaned over and pressed the button to open the doors and they walked back out to the sidewalk. She reached up and squeezed the backings to her earrings more firmly into place now that she was going to be walking on public wearing them. He watched her do it with some confusion on his face. She winked at him.

"Well ... there's this store in this area that sells..." He trailed off nervously.

"Sells what, Ranma?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"They sell ... imported Chinese clothes." He said quietly to her.

She stopped walking and looked at him seriously. He stopped as well and eyed her nervously. The people on the street just detoured around them. Whatever strange power he had, that kept people away from him, was still working. She sighed and decided to tease him. "Why didn't you get my daddy his cigarettes and sake, or Kasumi her calligraphy stuff and tea while you were at it?"

He smiled at her. "I will ... if I am ever on a date with them." He said calmly.

She laughed. She hadn't been expecting him to joke. She nudged him to start walking again and looped her arm through his arm. He didn't know enough to raise his arm to the _escort_ position, but that was all right with her. She was dressed formally, but she wasn't feeling formal at the moment.

"I am not letting you get me any more presents, Ranma. The stupidly expensive earrings are more than enough." She said sternly. He blinked at her, then nodded hesitantly. She could tell by his body language that shopping for a Chinese silk dress for her had been the second surprise he had been planning, and he didn't have a backup plan. "That doesn't mean we can't go look at the store, and try stuff on, and have fun though." She said happily. He looked over at her and nodded eagerly.

She glanced side to side and then back at him and had to ask him about it, because it was driving her crazy. " _How_ are you doing that?" She asked in a voice she tried to keep from being envious, but failed.

"Doing ... what?" He asked.

She looked pointedly left and right and back at him. "Don't try to pretend that you aren't doing something to keep people away from you." She said with exasperation.

He looked around at the crowd on the sidewalk as it streamed around them to either side, but stayed away from them by a comfortable margin, and shrugged. "I think people are just bein' polite." He said.

She shook her head emphatically and pointed down the street. "See that woman tying her shoe down there?" She asked.

He looked where she was pointing. A young woman had stopped at the side of the sidewalk, and she was crouched down tying her shoe. Nobody was jostling her or knocking into her. But people were passing within centimeters of her. Compared to the almost quarter of a meter people were leaving around them, the difference was obvious.

Ranma smiled at her. "Maybe it's you people are afraid of. Maybe they don't wanna get your dress dirty."

She rolled her eyes at him. "I've been downtown before. People don't give me any more space than anyone else."

He shrugged at her again. "I ain't doin' nothin' special."

She frowned at him. She didn't really believe him, but she didn't think he would outright lie to her about something inconsequential like that, so he probably just didn't realize he was doing it. She smiled at him thinly and nudged him to start walking again.

They walked together quietly for a few blocks as she gathered her thoughts. She had to admit she was also enjoying the envious stares quite a few of the women were casting her way as they caught sight of him and her jade earrings.

Ranma was quietly steering them to another section of the Ginza that had more clothing shops. He seemed to be content to just be with her. She enjoyed that about him, but she wasn't going to waste the time she had alone with him. She wanted to get to know him better, and there was no better time than the present.

She decided to ask him if he had ever, as Doctor Tofu put it, _whited-out_ , like Akane had. Doctor Tofu had given her the medical point of view on it, but maybe Ranma had some insight on it related to the practical aspects of the Art.

"Ranma ... you remember how Akane was like when she fought Kodachi after you stopped her?" She asked gently. He looked over at her and nodded. "Doctor Tofu told me that what happened to Akane was what he called _whiting-out_. He said it could happen in a life-or-death situation where strong emotions were involved. Do you know about that?" She continued.

He nodded again more firmly at her. He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again. He did that a few times as she waited patiently for him to gather his thoughts. "It's ... it's hard ta explain. Pops calls it _survival mode_. He says that ancient warriors used to actually try to make themselves like that before battle, because it made them better fighters." He paused a moment and looked straight ahead quietly for a few moments before he continued. "It's also basically what I do when I'm around cats too long." He added quietly.

She looked over at him sharply. She hadn't thought of that, but it made sense. He was totally detached, and didn't even identify as human, when he was in that state. "Is it dangerous?" She asked carefully.

He nodded. "Yeah, it is. Pops thinks it helps ya fight, but I don't think Pops has ever actually been that way himself. I dunno about Doctor Tofu, but he hasn't probably had it happen either. It's ... weird. You can feel yourself slippin' into it, but there isn't anythin' you can do ta stop it. Your body just kind of takes over, and your mind shuts down. While that's happenin' you just don't care if you get hurt. I've come out of it before with cuts and bruises I didn't remember gettin'." He said in a dark tone of voice.

She nodded at that and hugged his arm more tightly. She didn't want to press him any further on the subject. She had enough information about it now to know that it was dangerous, and she knew enough about it to recognize it if she saw it happening. She just hoped she wouldn't have to again, since from what he'd told her, there was no way to stop it.

They walked together quietly for a few more blocks, then Ranma slowed to a stop in front of yet another very nice building. It had glass windows all along the ground floor, and in each of them were all sorts of mannequins wearing every type of Chinese clothing style she could think of, in a dizzying array of colors and fashions. She looked over at him with wide eyes. "How did you find this place?" She asked as they walked towards the doors.

He smiled at her as he reached to open the door for her. "Doctor Tofu actually told me about it. He said he'd shopped here before." Ranma said softly as he closed the door behind them.

She let go of his arm and looked all around her as she walked up the small flight of stairs that led up into the raised first floor shopping area. The stairs were marble, and the hand rails were polished mahogany. The detail work on the stairs and railings was gleaming brass. Ranma had found a very nice store indeed. She didn't know if she wanted to stay in it very long though. She knew that he had picked it because he thought she liked the nicer things in life, and he wasn't wrong. But she knew that the type of store they were in was going to rub him the wrong way. She knew enough to hold her own in a swanky store, but he didn't. And she didn't think he knew the CEO of the store this time. _Not that I'd be surprised if he did, at this point_. She thought to herself wryly.

As soon as she cleared the stairs she wandered over to the nearest display, which was a glass counter with various fragrances sitting on it. Some were labeled for men, others for women. She picked up various tester vials and eyed them playfully. She sniffed a few and set them down hurriedly. None of the fragrances were right for her. One was a pretty good match for Ranma though. It was a woody one with a trace of bright lavender running through it with a hint of something smoky. It would compliment his normal flowery cedar smell very well.

She turned around and held it up for him to see. He looked at it suspiciously. She crooked her finger towards herself and smiled mischievously. He smiled back as he shook his head and took a step away. She sighed theatrically and turned around and put the bottle back down. As she did so she spritzed her finger with the fragrance. She turned around and smiled at him again and reached her hands out for him. He nodded and stepped forward to meet her.

As soon as he was in reach, she darted her hands in and slipped them around his neck. He flinched but let her do it. When she didn't slide into the hug she was sure he had thought she was going for, he looked into her eyes quizzically. She grinned at him and pulled him in closer to her. "When a girl wants you to try something on, she is _going_ to get you to try it on, Ranma." She whispered to him as she slid back from him and waggled her fingers at him while she beamed happily at him.

He sighed and sniffed the air around himself. She'd barely gotten any on him, just enough so that he had just a hint of it on him. It made him smell both a little bit more grown-up, and also a little more foreign and mysterious. It was fun.

She grinned at him and reached for his hand. He smiled back and let her lead him around the store. She picked out several dresses to try on, from cheongsams to Manchu dresses, and even a Tang suit that had been tailored into a dress. Since she was holding on to Ranma, he held on to the dresses for her. Once she was done picking them out, she led him over to where the signs for the dressing rooms were.

She stopped about twenty meters away and eyed the area warily then turned back to him and leaned into him. "Don't make it obvious that I am talking to you, just hug me." She instructed him. As soon as he put his arms around her she continued. "Since you've done so much for me today, it is time for me to do something for you. We're in a very nice store, Ranma. They are going to look down on you, and treat you poorly, if you don't look and act a certain way. Would you like me to tell you what to say to them so they won't look down on you?" She asked him softly.

She felt him nod, and smiled. She wasn't looking at his face because she wanted the staff to think that they were just a young couple in love, and nothing more. If they saw her coaching him, then the impact of what he said would be lost. She popped herself up on her tip-toes and whispered a few things to him, then smoothly slid to the side of him and continued walking like nothing had happened. She was sure the staff thought that she had just sneaked a quick kiss from her boyfriend, and nothing more.

When they were close enough, they stopped and the staff behind the counter bowed enough to be polite to them, but no further.

Ranma returned their bow, but inclined his head to less of a degree, as she had instructed him.

A young man stepped out from behind the counter and approached them. The other two staff members, both women, stayed behind the counter and watched them disinterestedly.

"What can I do for you two kids today?" The young man asked. It was just polite enough to be safe to say to customers, but as she had predicted, the young man was being condescending to them.

"You can hold these and show us to a changing room." Ranma said, again like she had told him. Then he tipped his chin up like she had suggested he do, and looked towards the dressing rooms with a bored expression on his face. 

The young man no longer seemed as sure of himself, and after a moment's hesitation, did what she had known he was going to do — deferred to them. She hadn't had time to explain to Ranma that a lot of how people treated you boiled down to how you projected your expectations of how they should treat you. He knew that when it came to fighting, but he didn't know how to do it for other areas of his life. At least, not yet. But if he picked her, she would gladly teach it to him.

The young man gracefully took the clothes from Ranma while the two ladies behind the counter smiled shyly at Ranma and bowed to him as he walked past following the male staff member. They ignored her. Normally she would punish them for that, but she didn't feel like doing so at the moment. It was fun just playing with Ranma instead.

They stopped in front of a changing room, and the young man hung up the clothes on the hook outside the door. "We are having a sale today, sir. If you buy two items, you get a third at fifteen percent below list price." The young man said.

"Oh, okay, that sounds like a good deal, thanks!" Ranma replied cheerfully. The young man smiled knowingly as he bowed and walked away. She winced and sighed. She would have to work with him on being less gullible. She was sure _all_ of the items on the floor were marked at fifteen percent or more off _list_ price. Since _list_ price was basically meaningless, that didn't mean anything. The staff member had been testing Ranma, and he'd failed the test. That was all right, she'd take over and make them suffer for insulting him, once she was done trying everything on, of course. _I might even make that guy cry_. She vowed to herself.

"I'm going to go wash my hands." She announced.

"Why?"

"I don't want to try on clothes with that fragrance on my hands." She said with a smile.

"Oh sure, get it on me but you don't want it on you." He groused.

"You saying you don't like it?"

"That's ... not the point." He said with a small smile.

"So, you want me to smell like you then?" She asked teasingly.

He sighed. "I'll wait here while you wash your hands." He said, defeated.

She winked at him and made her way down one hallway, and then another as she followed the signs for the restrooms. As soon as she found it, she walked in and headed straight for the nearest sink. She washed her hands for a few moments before she realized ... that she felt funny.

Something was wrong. The restroom was too quiet. Her danger sense was screaming at her to get out. She tried to act as calmly as possible as she finished washing her hands then hurried over to where the towels were. She saw movement out of the corner of her eye and gasped.

She braced herself and spun to face whoever was in the restroom with her as she tried to tap into her Ki. Before she could complete her turn, a very strong hand lashed out and clamped down on her mouth. Another strong arm pulled her in and held her in place. It was a woman's arm. She pushed back with all her might and was able to knock them back from her a little bit. But ... somethin'... wron'. Things fun'y tast'd. Hand...h'ld mouth...fuz'y...sweet smell...spin'ing room...Ranma...need!......dark.


	42. Don't Be An Idiot!

[soundtrack for this one: _Sore wa chīsana hikari no yōna (_ それは小さな光のような _)_ , by **Sayuri (さユり)** ]

[I've had most of this chapter written since I started writing this story. I am very happy to **finally** publish it! 何を読んだかのためにそんなにありがとう！]

_Cold ... I'm cold._

_Danger... need get ... away._

_Ranma...where Ranma?_

_Why am I cold?_

_Where am I? I was ... I was attacked! What happened?_

Nabiki took stock of herself, as best she could, as she regained her senses. As far as she could tell, she was alive. That was a good start. _I was in the restroom washing my hands ... and ... someone was in there with me. Didn't I try to get away? No ... we fought. No, I tried to fight, but she was too strong. She! That's right, it was a woman! Where am I? What's happening?_

As she regained her full consciousness, her body told her things were very wrong. She could barely feel her legs, and the rest of her body felt chilled and numb. _Drugged ... I was drugged... that bitch drugged me!_ She was beyond furious about that. But, one thing at a time, first she had to survive this, _then_ she would get revenge.

She could feel herself swaying and there was a cold wind blowing on her, much stronger than was normal. Her head hurt, and she felt groggy, but she forced her eyes open a crack anyway, and looked around without moving her head. She wanted to appear like she was still asleep, in case she was being watched.

 _Oh, you have_ got _to be kidding me!_ She thought in a sudden panic as she realized where she was. She was perched precariously on the roof of one of the taller buildings in the Chuo ward, out near the waterfront by the Sumida river. She could see the foot bridge spanning the water. The swaying she had been feeling was the building _itself_ swaying in the wind. One could feel things like that, when one was over fifty stories up in the air.

 _How in the hell... ow, why did that hurt_? She thought to herself as she threw caution to the wind and revealed she was awake and tried to stretch her legs. She had felt a stab of pain in her left leg when she had tried to move it. She looked under her and found a chain clamped to her ankle with some sort of cuff. Her legs were cramped and had lost all circulation from her being unceremoniously dumped where she was. That explained why she could barely feel them.

 _Okay, so now what? My legs are asleep, whoever grabbed me is **way** stronger then me, and Ranma didn't see me get grabbed. I have a feeling Shampoo or the old ghoul aren't interested in letting me go if I ask nicely._ She worried. _Well, maybe I can get the circulation going again, I won't be able to get away at all if my legs aren't working_. She thought as she decided to try to shift her position.

She leaned against the building and stretched her back as she tried to shift her legs out from under her. The building moved. She froze. What she had thought was part of the building, had moved.

"Careful, want live...no push" A voice said from behind her. She tried to crane her neck back to see who it was. Their speech pattern was similar to Shampoo's, but it wasn't Shampoo's voice, but it definitely wasn't the old woman's voice. The speaker stepped out into her field of view. It was Shona, Shampoo's older sister, the one the old ghoul had summoned and threatened her and Ranma with. Shona was just as beautiful as Shampoo was, but the older Amazon's eyes were cold and pitiless, unlike Shampoo's. Shona trained those eyes on her and spoke in a neutral tone. "Have no fight you, weak girl. Still sit, be fine. Bait you is."

So that was it. The rest of Shampoo's tribe was starting to get involved now. The old crone _hadn't_ been bluffing. It must have been Shona following them earlier that Ranma had spotted. She looked around carefully, while she tried to prevent her weight from shifting again. She was chained to some sort of large weight, and the Amazon obviously intended to threaten her life to get Ranma to marry Shampoo.

She knew as soon as Ranma realized she was missing, he would come for her. The problem was, it was hard to track people in a city. But, there was no way Shona could have carried her unconscious to the top of the building, without being seen. People would have seen them, and he could find her that way. Shona seemed to be counting on that as well, if the Amazon intended to use her for bait. Her heart was hammering in her chest, and she was terrified, but she knew she had to ignore that and be brave at the moment. She needed to be ready to take any opportunity to get away.

She would really rather figure out a way to get away by herself. She knew damn well, if Ranma tracked her down, he would fight for her. But, against Shampoo's older sister, it would have to be a fight to the death. She eyed the older Amazon girl, and wasn't at all sure Ranma could beat her while trying to protect herself at the same time.

 _I DON'T want him getting hurt for me. I don't I don't I don't_! She thought determinedly. _I don't want him getting hurt, and I don't want him getting killed for me. I don't want anyone else to die. Nobody else!_ She swore to herself.

She knew that if push came to shove, he'd sacrifice himself for her. That was just the kind of person he was. His father had filled his head with ringing tales of duty, honor, sacrifice and the nobleness of saving women. _And the sad thing is, unlike his scummy father, Ranma actually believes it_. She thought sadly.

She had to figure out a way to end this, _before_ Ranma caught up to her! _I have to! Ranma can't win a fight to the death against this Amazon while he's trying to protect me. Even for him, that would be impossible!_

She needed to stay calm and not provoke the militant Amazon. She carefully looked down at her watch and figured it had been just a bit over fifteen minutes since Shona had ambushed her. That was more than enough time for Ranma to figure out she was missing.

Despite everything, she smiled a bit as she pictured him standing outside the restroom calling for her repeatedly, then eventually marching back to those smug little salespeople and demanding that one of the women go check on her. And when they had failed to find her, she was sure he probably wrecked the place looking for her. _Serves them right_. She thought bitterly.

She watched the Amazon for a while. The young Chinese warrior had walked leisurely to stand a few meters in front of her. The Amazon had her back to her. Shona was standing with her hands behind her back in the same kind of military posture Doctor Tofu and Ranma often took. It had to be some sort of a Martial Artist thing. The young Chinese warrior's head never stopped moving, though. It was clear Shona was waiting for Ranma to arrive.

She ran her eyes up the Amazon's body, and cringed. The Amazon was a bit more muscular that Shampoo was. Not much, just a bit, maybe a centimeter more of muscle in the shoulders and legs, total. The older girl had slightly more height than Shampoo did as well. But ... that was ... a problem. Shampoo was already freakishly strong given the tiny frame she had. If Shona had a slightly larger frame and build, then it was possible that Shona was an order of magnitude, or maybe even several orders, stronger than Shampoo was.

She knew that Ranma could beat Shampoo easily using nothing but non-lethal controlling techniques. But, she didn't think he would be able to use non-lethal control techniques with Shona, and win. If Shona could wield the kind of power she was afraid the Amazon could wield, then Ranma was going to have to use his full strength, or at least very close to it, if he wanted to win. And even more troubling, he was going to have to actually strike to injure or kill the girl. She didn't know if he could do that, even with her life on the line.

 _But, if he holds back, and I am in trouble, the stupid, noble, idiot isn't going to just suddenly decide to fight to kill. He's just going to shield me, and take whatever was meant for me, and get hurt or killed. I HAVE TO STOP THIS!_ She thought as her panic level rose.

She tried talking to Shona to feel her out. "So... Shona, right? That's what Shampoo said you go by, right?" She asked timidly. In many of her business dealings, that timidness would have been an act. At the moment, she wasn't ashamed to admit that she genuinely felt intimidated by the Chinese warrior.

Shone turned around and eyed her dismissively. "Yes, that right." Shona confirmed as she turned around again and returned to ignoring her.

"How is Shampoo doing?" She tried again. If she could just get Shona talking, she might be able to find a way out.

"How she ... doing what?" Shona asked without turning around.

 _Oops, looks like her Japanese isn't as good as Shampoo's is_. She tried simpler phrases. "Is Shampoo in good health?" She asked.

"Shampoo well." Shona said shortly.

 _Chatty thing, isn't she?_ She thought with annoyance. "I don't suppose I could get you to let me out of this chain? I promise I won't run." She said. She actually meant it. Running wouldn't do her any good right now, Shona would easily be able to hunt her down. But ... when Ranma showed up, if she was free, she could run for it, and Ranma could keep Shona busy. Once she was away, Ranma wouldn't have to worry about protecting her any more, and the fight would be much less dangerous for him then.

"Chain keep you from run. No need promise." Shona said simply.

 _Well ..._ _damn_. She thought as her panic increased. She was running out of time, and she knew it. Ranma had to be hunting for her by now. Without her holding him back, she knew he could get to where they were in about five minutes, at most, from the store they had been in. She was sure that he was on his way. At most she had a minute or so left before he showed up. It never even crossed her mind that he wouldn't come for her, or that he would give up, or wouldn't succeed in finding her. She had to figure out a way to gain an upper hand, quickly, before it was too late.

 _I guess I_ _'_ _ll have to switch to Mandarin and try that. I don't have any options left. There's no witnesses anyway, so it isn't like I'll be revealing_ —

"NABIKI!" She jerked her head up in fear as she heard him call her name. He was on the roof! Her heart started to beat even faster in fear as her spirits dropped. She was out of time. She looked frantically for him and found him a moment later. He was running up to the highest part of the roof that Shona had setup on. It was a sort of plateau that sloped down in every direction from what she had been able to see of it anyway.

As she watched, he reached the furthest corner of the plateau and paused. He stood there easily and without fear at the apex of the roof with the wind whipping his hair and clothing around. He looked ... livid. She saw his eyes dart to her, then they moved to Shona and stayed on the Amazon. The anger in his eyes was making even her afraid. She'd never seen him look so angry.

Shona stepped forward and called out to him while the young Chinese warrior put her hand on the large weight she was chained to. She couldn't make out what the Amazon said very well, because the wind kept carrying her words away. But she got the gist of it. As expected, it was an ultimatum — marry Shampoo, or Shona would shove her off the roof. Ranma started to walk towards them while he shook his head _no_ as the Amazon listed her demands.

Shona held up a hand imperiously for him to stop as she flexed her other hand on the weight she was chained to. Her stomach was dropping into her toes, and her breathing was starting to reach hyperventilation levels. She knew she was panicking, but she couldn't stop it. This wasn't a business deal that was going bad. This was life or death stuff.

She was sure if it had been Akane chained to the weight, her younger sister would have just broken the weight or the chain by now, and would be helping Ranma fight the Amazon, and the situation would be far less serious. But she couldn't do what Akane could do. She couldn't free herself, and she wasn't strong enough to do anything about the weight. If she went over the edge of the roof, with or without the weight, she was dead.

Ranma was now about two meters away from her. She could see him clearly now. His chest was rising and falling rapidly, his jaw was clenched, and his eyes were wild with _fury_. He stopped in a loose fighting stance in front of the Amazon and yelled at her over the wind.

"Let her go. Let her go NOW!" Ranma ordered in a voice just short of a scream.

She was watching his hands. He was clenching and unclenching them strongly. The veins and sinews of his hands were standing out as he flexed them. She had a feeling he was wishing he had claws at the moment. She glanced at the Amazon, and could tell the young Chinese warrior was faltering a bit. Ranma was visibly furious. If the Amazon pushed her off the roof and killed her, Shona would _still_ have him to deal with. She would have bet any amount of money, that the Amazon was trying to figure out if it was _possible_ to survive against Ranma, if she killed her.

She could tell Shona was weighing her options, and trying to decide what to do, based on the angle of the Amazon's head, her inaction, and the subtle tells in her body language. The Chinese warrior's hand stayed flexed on the weight she was chained to, while doing so.

The situation they were in was _very_ dangerous. She _knew_ Ranma would fight for her. But she didn't want him to _die_ for her. She wanted to help him. If she could just get free and get clear of the fight, Ranma wouldn't have to protect her while he fought. She could pick locks, but she didn't have her tools on her. She tried flexing her ankles and wiggling her feet around to see if there was any give in the cuff at all. There wasn't. Maybe Shona would negotiate?

"Hey, can we talk? Maybe we can make a deal?" She asked the Amazon's back. Ranma glanced at her, but didn't change his stance. The Amazon didn't even turn around or acknowledge her; Shona kept her focus on Ranma. Her breathing was starting to get more rapid as the fear started to take control of her. She decided she was worried enough to finally betray her secret in front of Ranma, so she tried again in Mandarin. "請跟我說話。我們可以做個交易嗎？"[1,2]

That got the Amazon to look back at her quickly, but it was with a face twisted in disgust. _Of course, warrior cultures tend to look down on the traders and deal makers. Forgot about that_. She thought to herself, chagrined.

"I ain't tellin' ya again. LET. HER. GO. **NOW!** " Ranma yelled as he leaned forward. She could tell he was about to launch himself at the Amazon. Unfortunately, so could the Amazon. The Chinese girl's hand tightened on the weight. She could tell the Amazon had decided to kill her and take her chances with Ranma.

She looked up at Ranma in a panic with wide eyes, and saw him realize the same thing she had. His eyes had fear in them. He flexed his muscles and tensed his body, he was about to attack! She shook her head at him as tears started to stream down her cheeks. She was almost paralyzed with fear, but she wanted to make it clear to him that she didn't want him getting killed trying futilely to save her. She shook her head sharply side to side as she screamed at him. "NO! RANMA, DON'T!"

Three things happened a split second after that. Ranma launched himself into a front flip over the Amazon; the Amazon pushed hard on the weight; and she felt herself start to slide backwards off the roof. She was about to die.

She opened her mouth in a silent scream as she watched Ranma try to reach her, and continued shaking her head. She didn't want him to die! Ranma landed on the other side of the Amazon and sprinted towards her. Shona immediately threw several knives at him. He dodged most of them. The rest he simply caught and threw away. They were the ones that could have hit her, if he hadn't stopped them. Ranma suddenly reversed his momentum and danced into Shona's stance as he backhanded the Amazon so viciously, she was sure he had killed her. Shona dropped to the roof like a puppet with its strings cut.

Had she been wrong? Was he willing to use lethal force when the situation called for it? A moment later, her backwards slide stopped. She looked up and saw Ranma pulling on the weight. He dragged it back up and set it back on the balance it had been on before. Her whole body was shaking now, she was trembling uncontrollably. But she barely noticed it, her entire focus was on him. It wasn't over.

The Amazon kicked herself back up to her feet from where she'd fallen, and charged right back at them. He had _not_ used lethal force. As she had feared, he was holding back. Ranma had been trying to bend down and get the chain off her. But, he had to stand back up quickly and meet Shona's charge. They clashed, hard. She couldn't follow their movements, they were lightning fast. But she could hear the impacts. They were trading body blows hard enough that the shock waves from their strikes were actually carrying to where she was sitting. She couldn't seem to regain her breath. She was sucking air into lungs that didn't seem to be able to get enough oxygen at the moment. Her whole body was shaking from the fear. She tried to follow the fight with her eyes, but it was just too fast.

A moment later someone got knocked hard back away from her. A heartbeat after that Ranma darted back in front of her. He started to bend down and frantically worked on the chains to free her. She watched over his shoulder as he worked. A second later her eyes widened as she saw Shona running back towards them. Before she could even open her mouth to warn him, Ranma darted back out to fight.

Shona ran up and threw a powerful roundhouse kick to his body. Ranma stepped into the Amazon's stance and blocked with his right hand high, and his left low. Both of them had traded speed for power. She could tell both of them were trying to hit each other hard. As soon as Ranma had arrested Shona's momentum, he dropped his stance low and slammed a hammer-fist towards Shona's knees, but Shona slapped her hands down to parry, and danced back. Ranma stayed right on her and stepped forward with his left foot as he raised his right foot. She thought he was going to kick. Apparently so did Shona, as the Amazon's hands flashed low to block. As soon as they did, Ranma slammed a right cross-punch into the Amazon's jaw and knocked her back.

Shona shook her head and blinked at him, then charged back in with a right step-through punch. Ranma stepped outside Shona's stance and slammed his right fist into Shona's exposed triceps muscle as he punched at her right kidney with his left fist. As soon as his fists landed, he shifted his stance so that his right knee checked Shona's leg and took away her depth of movement. Then he snaked his left hand up and checked Shona's punching arm down as he dropped his right fist straight down into Shona's kidney again.

She winced as Shona's back arched in pain. Before Shona could move again, Ranma looped his right hand back up and chopped to her neck. Shona's head snapped forward as her back arched further back. Ranma completed the circle and closed his stance as he kneeled and chopped to the back of Shona's right knee. Then he sprang up from his crouch and kicked low with a knife-edge type of kick to Shona's left leg. The Amazon grunted in pain and started to drop down as Ranma collapsed her stance. Ranma had completed the motion from the kick so he landed with his left leg forward and continued the spin as Shona dropped. He turned the spin into a vicious hooking kick to Shona's head. She winced again as he made contact. Shona had managed to duck her head out of the way, but he had still caught her neck and part of her shoulder.

The Amazon spun backwards and landed heavily. Ranma didn't waste any time. He darted back over to her and immediately set to work trying to free her again.

"Ranma, you can't hold back. Fight to kill! You can't win if you're holding back, _and_ protecting me!" She said to him desperately.

He glanced at her with disapproval in his eyes. She knew that the situation they were in was just another fight to him. But he was used to saving Akane from danger. But she wasn't like Akane, she was worse than useless in a fight against a trained expert like Shona. And Shona wasn't like Shampoo. The older Amazon girl wasn't holding back like Shampoo had done in the past.

He opened his mouth to argue with her, when the Amazon screamed out a challenge to him. They both looked up and saw the young warrior holding knives in each of her hands as she walked slowly towards them. Ranma stood up and went to a guard position instantly.

The Amazon looked at her and sneered, then looked back over at Ranma and spat. Ranma simply held his ground and watched her. She knew he wouldn't go chasing after the Amazon while he was standing between her and certain death. The Amazon seemed to know it too, so she took her time and walked back towards them almost leisurely. She watched the Amazon carefully and could tell Shona was injured. The young warrior was favoring her left leg, and she could tell by the shallow breaths the Amazon was taking, that her ribs were probably injured as well. Shona was also holding her neck at a slight angle, like it hurt to hold it straight up. Ranma seemed fine.

When Shona had reached a space about three meters away from them, the Amazon stopped and called out to Ranma in broken Japanese. "You good fight. Make tribe strong. Now me come. Marry sister. Weak girl live. Come now, or she die!"

Ranma shook his head and didn't move. "You'll hafta kill me before you can hurt her. And I'm losin' my patience. Get outta here before you get hurt." He growled.

In response, the Amazon threw both knives, hard. One of them was aimed right for her. The other was aimed for the weight she was chained to. She screamed in fright as she realized what was about to happen. Ranma darted into motion and knocked the knife that had been aimed at her out of the air. Then he darted back and raced for the weight as she slid backwards again over the cold, hard surface of the roof towards the edge. The Amazon charged at him while he was distracted, and he had to pause and fight with her, again.

She was sliding down the roof faster as gravity pulled her down. He wasn't going to be able to stop it in time again. She looked at him desperately, and shook her head _no_ as fast as she could as she tried to catch his eye. She was going to die. She could accept that, she had made her peace with that a long time ago. She didn't want him to die for her though.

Ranma swore loudly and kicked Shona hard away from him. The heavy crack of his kick impacting the Amazon sounded almost like a bat hitting a baseball. Shona rocketed away from them again. As soon as his kicking foot landed, he changed direction quickly to sprint back to her. He had a determined set to his face and ignored her attempts to make him let her go. Shona was already getting back up to come after him again. There was no possible way he would be able to stop her or free her in time, and live.

"LET ME GO, RANMA! SAVE YOURSELF!" Nabiki screamed to him as the weight pulled her inexorably downward. She knew she only had seconds left, if that.

"SHUT UP, YOU'RE CRAZY!" He screamed as he dove for her and grabbed her wrist to slow her down.

"I'M NOT WORTH DYING FOR!" Nabiki screamed back as she tried to shake him off as the weight continued to pull them both downward without any noticeable slowing.

"NOBODY'S DYIN' TODAY, DON'T BE AN IDIOT!" He yelled as he pulled himself to her by essentially climbing her arm. Once he reached her body, he wrapped his legs around her waist, and bent backwards to reach down to her legs. She felt a sharp tug at her leg and heard a metallic snapping sound. She realized that he had broken the chain right as he sat back up and wrapped his arms around her and kicked the weight away from them. He had broken the chain with his bare hands. He then slapped the roof hard with his free hand, as he twisted his hips and dug in. He was trying to slow their fall. They were still sliding down the roof though. He looked at her with real worry in his eyes. She looked back at him, terrified. He nodded to himself and clutched tightly at her as he shifted her in his arms. She could feel the muscles in his shoulder and his arm tensing. He was going to throw her! He was going to throw her to safety, and use the counter-force to save her, and take her place!

"RANMA, NO! DON'T I—"

Her body was abruptly jarred sharply as Ranma was suddenly yanked away from her. Her head was spinning and she was seeing stars and her nose had that fuzzy feeling to it like she had been hit in the face with a ball. She was now tumbling down the roof in sort of a sideways shoulder roll. The hard surface of the roof impacting her shoulder and back made her almost lose consciousness. She continued to slide faster and faster down the slope of the roof. From the few glimpses she got of him, she could see Ranma fighting viciously with Shona to get to her.

She didn't think he was holding back any more. Shona's face was bloody now, and Ranma had death in his eyes. He was fighting to get to her as hard as she had ever seen him fight. He was desperately trying to get past Shona to get to her, but Shona was doing everything she could to stop him.

He finally managed to drop the young Chinese warrior to her knees as she felt herself reaching the end of the roof. She knew she was about to fall. Her breathing was rapid and panicked, but she felt at peace inside, Ranma wasn't going to die for her. Nobody else was going to die. Ranma screamed her name and sprinted down the slope after her. He was moving so fast, it looked like he was blurring, as he tried desperately to get to her.

"NO, RANMA! NO! She screamed at him. She didn't want him to die in a futile attempt to save her! A heartbeat later she was bumped up into the air as she slid over the raised trim of the edge of the roof, and then she was airborne. In her last glimpse of him, she had seen him running down the roof trying to get to her with his arms outstretched in front of him and an anguished look on his face. She clutched her hands to her chest and curled up into a ball.

 _I'm going to die, but that's okay, at least Ranma is sa—_

"Nabikiiiii!" She looked up, and she lost all hope.

Ranma was in the middle of a graceful dive off the roof. As she watched, he crested to the top of his dive, tucked his arms in tight against his sides, aimed himself at her, and rocketed to her. She shook her head sadly at him. The idiot. The stupid, stupid, brave, idiot. There had been no reason for him to die too! 

As he got closer to her, he reached out his right hand to her with a determined look on his face. She nodded and reached her own hand out to him. It was shaking beyond her ability to control it. Tears were streaming freely from her eyes and blurring everything as the fear took total control over her. This was it, she was going to die, and Ranma ... poor Ranma was going to die with her.

———————

1\. "請跟我說話。 (Qǐng gēn wǒ shuōhuà. — Please talk to me.)"

2\. "我們可以做個交易嗎？ (Wǒmen kěyǐ zuò gè jiāoyì ma? — Can we make a deal?)"


	43. 43: My Eternal Guardian

[soundtrack for this one: _This Game,_ by **Suzuki Konomi** ]

Their fingers brushed once, twice, and then a third time as he reached with increasing urgency for her. Nabiki couldn't really feel her hands any more. She didn't know if that was from the wind chill, or the fear. Ranma grit his teeth and lunged for her, and she felt his hand grasp hers tightly — more from the pressure than any actual feeling in her hands. He then quickly pulled her in towards him and slid his hand down to her wrist.

She twisted and looked down and saw the ground rushing up to meet them at a terrifying speed. She opened her mouth and worked her jaw as her body tried to sob, but nothing came out. She spun around to look at him. She wanted her last sight in life to be of him. 

He met her eyes, then smiled as he started to move with a practiced grace. He pulled her in close to his body, swung her over to his left side, and wrapped his left arm around her while he twined his leg around her tightly as well. She clung to him and buried her face into his chest. She wanted to cry, but she was paralyzed from the fear. She looked up at him in misery. She hadn't wanted anyone else to die! 

She held on to him tightly and prayed to whatever would listen to her, to make it a quick and clean death, as an anguished whimper rose in her throat but died unvoiced. She looked up and tried to catch a last glimpse of his eyes. But, his eyes were focused up on the roof. Ranma, oddly, had a calm smile on his face, and he was glowing with a bright yellow aura. If she could see it, as scared as she was, then he was dumping _all_ of his power into it.

"WHY?!" She managed to ask as they fell while she held on to him as tight as she could. She wasn't holding on to him to try to save herself, she was holding on to the future with him she'd never gotten the chance to have. _Why die for me?!_ She wanted to scream at him, but she couldn't get the words out as her mind started to shut down from the fear.

"YOU KNOW WHY!" He yelled back calmly as he unwound something from his wrist, twirled it, and threw it. It was some sort of a cord. Her mind was still trying to figure out what he was doing, when they jerked hard to a stop. She felt every muscle in his body tense as he held her and prevented her inertia from carrying her away from him. She screamed as they then started to swing towards the building. It took her mind a moment to realize they weren't falling any more. He looked over at her and smiled. "Hold on, you're gonna be okay." He said in his usual confident voice.

_I know I am._ She thought as he held her.Her mind was all over the place, and her body was still trying desperately to figure out how to survive. But, intellectually, she was starting to realize that she wasn't going to fall to her death. She looked at him in wonder.

She had always known he was strong, and she had always known he could fight. She had seen some of it before, but never like this, and never so strongly. Ranma had usually been off with Akane or one of the others when things had happened, and she had just heard about it later.

It was one thing to hear stories about what he could do, it was another thing, _entirely_ , to live through it, and be involved with it. She was starting to understand that it wasn't just luck that got him through things. He was _relentless_. He accepted nothing less than success, and he just kept pushing until he succeeded. If there was one thing that his stupid father had done right for him, it was giving him the ability to make his own luck through sheer stubbornness. _He's certainly stubborn enough to just ignore whatever the universe has planned for him, and make his own fate_. She thought with no small amount of pride as the building rushed up to meet them and she winced.

They impacted against a window of the building and she could see the cord strain and cut into his wrist and hand, but the cord held, and he didn't even seem to notice the damage. They held still for a moment, and she could suddenly hear herself breathing rapidly in fear. The cold wind tore around them and chilled every part of her not touching Ranma. She didn't dare look down. He held her more tightly with his free hand, yelled for her to hang on, then kicked them free of the building. She gasped as they swung back in towards it. Before she had time to be too afraid, he flexed and kicked the window out. It shattered around them as he let go of the cord and shielded her from the glass. They crashed into an empty room and he rolled them with the impact and wrapped himself around her tightly.

They ended up resting on the floor with her laying flat on her back, breathing heavily — one might say hysterically. Ranma had her face buried into his chest, his arms wrapped around her back and her head, while his legs were wrapped around hers. He had so efficiently shielded her from the impact, that the only part of her he wasn't still holding off the ground was her bottom.

After a moment had passed, he unwrapped his arms from around her upper body, and untucked his legs from under hers as he lowered her gently to the floor. He then carefully lifted himself off her in a push-up position before he pushed himself off to the side of her. She felt him quickly run his hands gently around her body a moment later. "Are you all right, Nabiki? Are you bleedin' or anythin'?" He asked with urgency in his voice. She noted with some amusement that he avoided her more sensitive areas as he checked her for wounds. 

It was strange how calm and cool he could be when he was in the act of diving off a building to save her, but as soon as he wasn't in a combat situation, his poise left him. He brought his head back into view as he leaned over her again and stared into her eyes nervously. "You all right?" He repeated.

She nodded her head shakily up at him. He let out a slow breath and tried to smile for him as he smiled down at her. She wanted to be brave for him, even though she was most decidedly _not_ feeling all right. She plastered a fake smile on her face and pushed herself up on her shaking arms, and managed to get into a sitting position. She made it all the way to putting her hands to the floor, as she tried to get her legs under her to stand up, when it hit her.

She knew it showed on her face, because he looked over at her with panic on his face. "Nabiki ... hey, Nabiki, you OK?" He asked. His voice sounded weird, and further away than it should have.

"No...I'm not..." She said, as the fear and relief hit her at the same time and she lost it and began to cry as she hyperventilated. A moment later a massive wave of nausea crashed into her, and she had to lean back down to the floor as she threw up. Her whole body was shaking, and she was afraid she was going to pass out. Her vision was starting to blacken around the edges.

Strong hands reached down and grabbed her and pulled her back gently. She felt him prop her up in his lap and wip her face with a handkerchief he produced from somewhere. Then she felt him shift behind her. She didn't know what he was doing, but she didn't really know what she was doing, either. Her whole body was still shaking, and she was fighting valiantly to try to keep from throwing up again as her vision blacked out.

A moment later a heavy fabric draped around her. She was dizzy and couldn't see, as her senses overloaded. The last time she had blacked out was when she got a shot at the doctor's office when she was little. She hated the feeling. She sucked in some shaky deep breaths and waited it out. She knew her vision would return in a moment, once the overload to her senses passed.

She looked down a few moments later as her vision started to clear, and realized it was Ranma's blue silk shirt she had felt being draped around her. She stared at it without comprehension. She heard his voice from far away say something to her about hanging on to something. She nodded and leaned up against whatever the hard thing behind her was, and tried to focus her energy on keeping her head from spinning.

A moment later she felt something round press up against her lips. She almost fought against it before her mind told her it had water in it. She drank greedily from it. The water washed away the worst of everything, and also brought some clarity back to her thoughts. She blinked up at him, and saw Ranma looking down at her with worry in his eyes. He was holding a paper cup in his hands that he was pressing up to her lips. He was only wearing his undershirt. _He must have found a water cooler somewhere on the floor we're on_. She thought absently. She looked around and saw that the room they were in wasn't just empty, it was bare and missing some walls. She could see a lot of the floor they were on, open behind him through those missing walls. She could also smell sawdust in the air. _It must be under construction_. She thought dimly to herself.

"You feeling better?" He asked her gently.

She nodded as she pulled the cup from his hands and upended it to finish off the water. "T-thanks." She managed to mumble as her strength started to return to her.

He nodded as he crouched down across from her and stared into her eyes with worry. He handed her a couple of the things he called _energy balls._ She ate them numbly. "Was that ... the first time you thought you were going to die?" He asked her gently.

"N— ... uh yeah, yeah...I think so." She said wearily. She was also embarrassed. He was _so strong_ and she was _so weak_.

He winced at her. "I'm sorry, that's rough. It's always worst the first time." He said with sympathy. "The adrenaline dump your system puts out as your body tries to save itself, is pretty massive. If you don't die, then all that stuff just crashes into ya, and you feel awful and shaky for a bit." He said gently.

She nodded blankly. She understood what he was saying, but it wasn't making her feel any better. She felt shaky and nauseous, and terrible. She wanted to get the focus off of herself. "H-how old were you, when you—"

"Seven. Trainin' exercise. Pop screwed it up. Barely got out alive. Then I had to help Pop reset it and try it again. Almost died several more times that day." He said in a voice that was mostly resigned, but was tinged with bitterness.

"Tell me about it." She asked as she pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them tightly. She nodded politely as he told his story, but totally tuned him out as she tried to handle what she had just been through. _I can't believe he jumped off a building to save me_. For some reason, she was upset about that. She looked at him with disbelief as he talked. _He jumped off a building for me...he jumped off a **building** for me...HE JUMPED OFF A BUILDING FOR ME!_ She repeated to herself as her breathing grew more rapid and her skin flushed with heat. She could feel herself growing increasingly angry with him, as she sat there and recovered her strength, and her mind dialed back up to fully operational. The anger built inside of her until she finally felt she had to let it out.

"Stop, just stop!" She blurted out as she abruptly leaned forward and slapped the ground in front of her. He cut off mid-sentence as his shirt slipped down from around her while she tucked her legs down to the side and leaned forward towards him. She was angry, very angry ... probably unreasonably angry, but she didn't care.

He gulped and looked at her with wide eyes. She could tell he had no idea why she was so upset.

"What did I—"

"You IDIOT! You stupid, **stupid** , insanely brave, **IDIOT**!" She yelled at him as she fixed him with a glare and rose to her knees shakily.

"I—"

"What is the MATTER with you?! YOU JUMPED OFF A BUILDING FOR ME!" She yelled as she walked over to him on her knees. She wasn't recovered enough yet to stand. He was still sitting anyway. She reached him and grabbed his shoulders and shook him. "WHY DIDN'T YOU LISTEN TO ME?! WHY WOULD YOU RISK YOUR LIFE LIKE THAT?!" She yelled hysterically as hot tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Why would I ... Nabiki ... I had to save you, I—"

"You're so reckless! If you get yourself killed for me, **I will never forgive you!** How can you risk your life like that?! Don't you care about the people who love you? What about your mom? How would she feel if you died jumping off a building like that?"

"I ... what? My mom? She—"

"I can't handle it if you get killed, Ranma. **I CAN'T!** I WOULD RATHER DIE THAN HAVE _YOU_ DIE _FOR_ ME. **DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!** " She screamed at him as she slammed her hands into the muscles of his chest and then fell against him and shuddered as the anger left her, and she collapsed again and just cried.

She felt him reach his arms up to wrap around her gently and slowly. She could tell she had freaked him out. _Good. He needs a little fear in his life. Brave people without fear do stupid things like jumping off buildings_. She thought bitterly while she cried with her head pressed against his chest.

After a minute or so, she got her sniffling under control and leaned back away from him. She was overcome with guilt and regret. _I didn't mean to unload on him like that_. She thought, ashamed.

"Ranma ... I'm so sorry ... I—"

"Hey ... don't worry, Kiki. I told you. I understand. The worst time is always the first time. You're actually handlin' it better 'an I did when it was my first time." He said soothingly as he tightened his left arm around her waist, and pulled his right arm up and brushed her hair back and smoothed it against her neck.

She could feel her lower lip quivering as tears threatened to rise to the surface again. Instead, she buried her face into his chest and took several deep breaths, and forced herself to regain control. He patiently waited and held her. She couldn't see his face, but she knew he was looking around and scanning for danger while he held her. _My Ranma is my eternal guardian_. She thought happily.

"Can you help me up?" She whispered to him. She felt him nod, and a moment later he rose smoothly to his feet and pulled her up with him by hooking his arms under hers. As soon as she was on her feet he slid his hands down to her waist and held her loosely while she swayed and tried to regain her balance.

"You all right?" He asked her softly.

She looked over at the window he had smashed through when he had rescued her. She took a couple of small steps towards it. He kept his hands on her and turned with her as she moved. She could feel him tighten his grip on her as she got closer to the opening. She wondered if he was just worried she might slip and fall, or if he was worried she was feeling suicidal?

She reached down and patted his hand gently to reassure him that she wasn't thinking of jumping. She looked out of the hole, and then briefly down at the ground. He had saved her with about two thirds of the fall still left to go. It hadn't seemed like it at the time, but he must have done it incredibly fast, to have stopped them where he did.

She pulled in a shaky breath and leaned back into him as she pulled his arms around her tightly and shivered as the breeze from the opening in the window chilled her. "No ... I'm not all right. But, there's nothing that can be done. We can't stop now, we have to keep playing the game, and we have to play to win." She finally replied. She put as much steel as she could into her voice.

As far as threats to her life went, the only real experience she had with that was what she had just survived. But, when it came to playing to win, and being ruthless, that ... _that_ she had _plenty_ of experience with. _These people have_ no idea _who they are messing with_. She growled to herself as she felt the tears come again. They were tears of anger.

"Hey ... you're fine now, don't worry, we're gonna _settle this_ and you'll be safe. Don't worry." He said gently as he reached a hand up to her cheek and wiped the tears away. It was his uninjured hand. He probably didn't want to get blood on her face. She cried even harder. Adrenaline did this to her, she had come to realize over the last few days.

She spun around in his arms to face him, and smiled weakly at him. "You idiot." She whispered as she labored to get her breathing under control.

He smiled back as he continued to gently wipe her tears away. "Hey, is that any way to thank me for savin' ya?" He asked with some humor in his voice.

"No, but your week isn't up yet." She said with a trace of her usual bravado as her nerves settled back from the life-or-death rawness her survival instincts had placed them on.

He grinned as he stepped back from her and slid his hand down her arm so he was holding her hand while he pulled her gently forward away from the window. He was again using his uninjured hand. "You're really making me work for it, aren't you?" He said softly, with a twinkle in his eye.

She squeezed his hand gently and smiled more broadly at him. "Hey, you're the one who keeps coming back. You obviously must think I'm worth it."

He smiled broadly at that as he reached for her other hand with the fingertips of his injured hand and pulled her close to him again while he leaned in to her. "Maybe." He whispered. She felt him brush her hair away from her ear a moment later, and sighed as she relaxed into him. He had no idea how much she enjoyed that.

She smiled as tears streamed down her face. "Why?" She whispered softly into his chest, because she couldn't let it go. She didn't understand what could make a person willingly dive off a skyscraper to jump after someone who was falling. There was only one force on Earth that was powerful enough to make her do something like that. _But ... it couldn't have been_ that _, could it?_ She wondered.

"I made you a promise." He said simply.

She sighed as she leaned back away from him and looked into his eyes with exasperation. _Amazing. He will clearly walk into the mouth of hell for someone he feels strongly for, and punch a demon in the balls to show how he feels, but when the moment is over, he still has trouble saying it_. She thought to herself as her heart soared and the dragon inside her sang. That was okay, she didn't need him to say it yet. She was pretty sure she knew.

Still, she wasn't going to let him off the hook just with that. He needed to learn to examine his decisions and the consequences of those decisions.

"What if you hadn't made me that promise?"

"I still would've come."

"Why?"

"Because ... because ... because, you know why, Nabiki." He said with embarrassment clouding his voice. She could see a touch of red creeping up his neck as well.

_Amazing_. She repeated to herself.

"I made you a promise too." She said with renewed determination. He nodded. "Well, then I guess we had better work on those promises." She said with a weak smile as he turned and led her to walk towards the nearest stairs. They stopped on the way for him to pick up his shirt and put it back on. Aside from a couple of smudges, he looked more or less how he had looked when they had started their date.

She took the opportunity to look down at her own clothes and was surprised to see that she also looked more or less all right. If someone looked very closely, they would see some smudges, and some very small abrasions to the silk, but for the most part she still looked all right. _Of course, I am sure my makeup is ruined_. She thought with a sigh. She could fix most of it with the compact in her purse, but it wouldn't be as good as what Kasumi had done.

"You know, I've been doing a lot more crying since I got involved with you, than I have in the last ten years, Saotome." She said teasingly after they started walking again.

He looked sideways at her as they walked and grinned shyly as he hesitantly replied. "T-that just means you're having more fun, though, right?"

_He's even learning how to joke!_ She thought happily as she leaned into him and looped her arm through his. "It sure does." She whispered happily as he opened the door and they started down the stairs.

***

She walked down the stairs with him and just focused on putting one foot in front of the other. It had started out easy enough. But, even going down, after fifteen flights of stairs or so, it got tiring. After about thirty, it was exhausting. Her legs were shaking, and she was too out of it to even try to hide it. She could see him glancing at her with worry in his eyes every now and then, but there wasn't much she could do about it.

She wasn't in the physical condition he was. Hell, she wasn't even in the condition Akane was. She exercised to allow herself to mostly eat whatever she wanted, and that was all. She didn't do any strength conditioning, and she didn't do endurance training. She did light aerobic exercise, and that was all. She also wasn't conditioned to handle the kind of adrenaline that was being dumped regularly into her system lately. She was going to have to ask Doctor Tofu about that; she was starting to worry that the adrenaline was going to mess something up inside her.

She looked at the floor marker of the latest landing they were passing, and sighed with relief, they were on the third floor now. As near as she could tell, the building they were in was a fifty-plus story building, so she had just descended almost forty flights of stairs. She was going to be _sore_ tomorrow.

Ranma looked over at her as they stepped down to the second to last landing and smiled at her gently. "See, that wasn't so bad was i—" his face shifted unexpectedly to a hard glare as he reached for her with lightning-fast hands and yanked her behind him as she heard a door crash open behind her.

She spun as he let go of her, and found herself looking over his shoulder. Shona was in the process of launching herself through the fire door on the landing they were standing on!

Ranma didn't waste any time yelling threats or trying to negotiate. He simply dove into Shona, and resumed the fight with her he had interrupted to save her life. She leaned up against the wall and just watched. Even if she had wanted to run away or try to help him, she couldn't. Her legs were burning, her lungs were straining to pull in enough air, and she was exhausted. She was useless at the moment. So she just watched.

Oddly, she didn't feel threatened at all. That was weird, and her mind flagged it for later review. By any measure, she should have felt threatened. Shona had a bloody nose, and a swollen eye as well. The Amazon's face was twisted into a determined rictus as she fought with Ranma. She knew that if Ranma failed and went down, that Shona would kill her. But she wasn't worried, even a little bit. Ranma clearly outclassed Shona, and now that he wasn't fighting to get _past_ Shona to save herself, and he was instead fighting to keep Shona _away_ from her, she knew that she was invulnerable. If she hadn't been so exhausted, she would have been making faces at Shona just to taunt her.

Ranma was fighting hard, but she could tell that now that he wasn't desperate to save her from falling to her death, he was pulling his strikes again. He was still hitting Shona hard enough that every time he hit the Amazon, she could tell he hurt her. But, he was no longer going all-out against the young warrior. It didn't matter. Shona was in no condition to be fighting him.

_She must be **terrified** to go back to the old ghoul in defeat. I bet she thinks he'll kill her in _ honorable _combat and give her a way out of that. Idiot. He could have killed her any of the times he's touched her. If he didn't do it earlier when he was tying to save me, he sure as hell isn't going to now. Although ... I might have to break him of that habit. He's a little too soft for his own good._ She thought as she watched the fight.

Shona slashed at him with a hooking axe-kick. Ranma brought his hands up in a rising x-block and shifted his stance to drop her past him, and sent a whipping back-knuckle into the Amazon's ear for her trouble. Shona shifted with her forward momentum and turned it into a spin that launched a rear-kick at him. He danced to the side of it, and slammed his fist into one of the nerve bundles in her leg.

The only reason she knew he had done that, was because Shona started limping after that, and favoring the other leg. The Amazon switched to hand techniques for her followup attacks. She smiled smugly as she watched. She knew it was about to be over. Ranma made no indication that he was about to do anything different. He parried several of Shona's strikes back and forth as he wove in and out of the young warrior's stance. Then, as he passed in front of the center of the Amazon on his next weaving pass, his hands suddenly blurred and Shona's head snapped back and her eyes went glassy. He had used his Chestnut-Fist rapid punching technique.

Shona slowly slid down to her knees, and then slumped over sideways, unconscious. She could have sworn for a moment that the Amazon warrior had smiled as she lost consciousness. Ranma stayed in a fighting stance for a few more moments and simply looked at Shona. Then he approached cautiously. A moment later his foot lashed out and pushed against Shona's hip and whipped back quickly to a fighting stance. Shona slumped even further, but didn't otherwise move.

"Looks like she's out." He said with a smile as he turned to face her. She smiled back at him. She noticed that he kept himself between her and Shona though. "Ready to go?" He asked. She looked hard at him, and shook her head. "What's wrong?" He asked, with worry in his voice.

She sighed. "Nothing other than the obvious, Ranma."

"...what?"

"I ... it's just ... are you just going to leave her there?"

He looked back at the Amazon and shrugged. "She'll probably be out for a minute or so. That's more than long enough for us to get away."

She sighed again and shook her head at him as she slid her professional mask into place on her face and summoned the ice inside herself. It scared her a little bit how easily the ice inside her rose to her command, but she ignored it for the moment. She would do what had to be done, even though the thought of it was already making her feel like she wanted to throw up again. "Ranma, she threw me off a building, to try to _kill_ me. And she just tried to kill me again." She said patiently to him.

He nodded at her. "I know, but what—"

"What do you mean, _but_?" She asked him sternly. He looked at her in confusion as she continued. "She's dangerous. She tried to _murder_ me, twice. If you hadn't been with me, _I would be dead_."

"But ... I was with you..." He said slowly, as he tried to figure out where she was going.

She sighed. "I know, Ranma. But ... Shampoo said it was going to be a war, and that I would be killed. It seems to me like she was telling the truth. They're serious, Ranma." She said sternly.

"I know. I'm gonna hafta hit a little harder than I like to." He said with regret in his voice.

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Ranma..." she said as she nodded her head towards Shona, "I don't think in a war of survival, one leaves a defeated opponent alive on the battlefield. Your mercy is admirable, but foolish." She said in a cold voice. She didn't like it. But if this was a war, then by God, she was going to win it!

"I don't—"

"Finish her, Ranma." She said quietly.

He looked at her blankly for a moment before he finally realized what she was telling him to do. He shook his head slowly and frowned. "That's not our way, Nabiki. The Anything Goes School of Martial Arts doesn't kill unless we have to, and we don't injure defeated opponents." He said in a cadence like he was reciting something.

She frowned. She didn't want to push him on the subject, but she didn't think he understood the gravity of the situation. "Ranma ... that's fine for schoolyard fistfights, but ... this isn't a fistfight. This is a war, based on what Shampoo told us, and Shona's attempts to murder me. War has ... different rules." She said quietly.

He shook his head again more emphatically. "Pop said that our restraint rules are what makes us different from assassins and thugs on the street. We fight with honor, and we know when to stop." He said proudly.

She looked at him, and a smile broke through her mask. She _loved_ how earnest and honest and _good_ he was! And she really didn't want to take a life either. "All right, Ranma. I guess they take prisoners in war too. We can leave her for now, I guess. But I don't want her following us." She said sternly.

He nodded. "Sure, no problem I can—"

"Break her legs." She ordered.

He smiled and shook his head again. "Can't, she's defeated. The rules apply. I can tie her up though. It'll probably take her a few hours or more to get out of it, but she'll be all right." He said confidently.

She opened her mouth to argue with him, then closed it. He had fixed his eyes on hers and she could see in those eyes a fire burning. It was the fire of righteousness. Or, more accurately, self-righteousness. She wasn't going to win this argument with him. She was just going to have to trust him to keep her alive until he learned about war the hard way. She just hoped that he didn't have to learn about it too brutally. 

She smiled at him and gestured for him to proceed. He nodded at her and set to work using a different cord he produced from one of his pockets. She looked at the cord curiously. _I wonder where he got paracord from?_ She wondered.

In just a few moments he had Shona's legs bound tightly together at the ankles, and the wrists as well, then he looped some of the cord through the railing for the stairs and connected it to the Amazon's ankles and wrists. He hadn't tied it so tightly that the Amazon couldn't move. But she was convinced Shona wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

When he was done, he stood up and smiled at her again and walked over to her as he held his hand out to her. She nodded and took it, and walked quietly next to him down the last of the stairs. They finally reached the ground, and Ranma pushed open the door to the street using the crash-bar, and they found themselves in an alley next to the building she had almost fallen to her death from.

She looked up, and immediately felt dizzy. She started to slowly sink to the ground as she slid her hand out of his. She ended up sitting roughly on the curb of the street, leaning her head against the wall, and breathing heavily as she tried to fight back a wave of nausea.

"You okay, Kiki?" He asked her as he reached his hand down for her to grab.

She looked up at his hand, as tears filled her eyes, and a heavy darkness filled her heart, and shook her head. "No, I'm not all right, Ranma." She said in a shaky voice. She didn't take his hand.

He sank down to his knees across from her and looked at her in worry. "Are you hurt?" He asked as his eyes traveled her body looking for wounds.

She shook her head as she fought the tears back. She didn't want to rub her eyes and smear the stupid makeup even more. "I ... I ... it's just ... all I wanted to do was go on a date with you ..." she sucked in a shuddering breath and tried to calm down. "That's all ... I just wanted to go on a date with you, like a normal couple. Akane got to go on a normal date with you. She didn't get attacked and almost killed. It's not ... it's not fair." She whispered.

She closed her eyes and breathed in slowly and deeply as she tried to control herself, and keep the tears back. She heard a rustling sound in front of her, then again next to her and Ranma moved positions and sat down next to her. A moment later he wrapped his arm hesitantly around her shoulder and pulled her in to a side hug.

"I'm sorry ... I wish we coulda been left alone too. But hey, at least we got to start the date with no one botherin' us, right? And now we can finish it." He said cheerfully.

She looked over at him incredulously as a tear managed to slip out and run down her cheek. "Finish?" She asked, confused.

"Sure. We still have your part of the date to do, right?" He asked. "I mean, I guess we could go finish the last of mine ... but I don't think they want to see me back at that store again any time soon." He said in an embarrassed tone. "So, what do ya say, are ya ready to finish the date and do the stuff you planned?" He asked her quietly.

She nodded, unsure of herself. "Yeah ... but Ranma ... all that stuff ... we were going to do that before ... before ..." _Before I'd been drugged, abducted, and almost killed_. She thought to herself.

"I know. But ... we can't let 'em win, right? If you still want to, then I want to too." He said with determination. She could tell he was putting on a show to try to make her feel better. And despite the fact that she knew that ... it was working.

"O-okay, Ranma. Let's do it, let's finish our date." She said with a shaky smile as she sniffled and rummaged in her handbag for a tissue. She found one and dabbed her eyes and cheeks clean, then blew her nose. She knew her makeup was probably a bit smeared, and her eyes were probably red-rimmed. She knew her clothes were a bit dirty. In short, she was a bit of a mess. But, he didn't seem to care, at all. He was beaming at her and holding her as he sat next to her on the cold concrete next to the building he had saved her from falling from.

She was in his world now. She really wanted to pull him more into her world, and to find a balance, but until the issues with the Amazons were settled, there just wasn't much she could do about it.

She looked over at him seriously and pursed her lips into a straight line as she scrunched her nose up at him. "You are ... an unusual date, I'll give you that."

He smiled back at her. "Good. I don't like bein' normal."

She squinted at him as she stuck her tongue out at him and allowed him to pull her to her feet and into his arms. "Oh, I can guarantee you that being with you is anything but normal, Ranma." She whispered to him happily as the heavy darkness in her heart was replaced by something much lighter and joyful.


	44. It's Official

[This is a double update due to its length. I felt it was better to keep it together, than to split it into pieces. I am happy to be releasing this one. There are MANY scenes in it that I have had written since I started this project. Enjoy!]

[soundtrack for this one: _Tsukiakari No Michishirube,_ by **Stereopony** , then _ZERO,_ by **AKINO from Bless4** , in that order.

Note: The songs aren't random. I have a reason for using all of them. The songs fit to the story, and the story fits to the songs. That was done on purpose, and it is planned out. You really won't get the full experience of the story without listening to the songs while reading. ^_-]

"So where are we going?" Ranma asked her while he held her. Nabiki buried her face into the soft silk of his chest for a moment and breathed in slowly to try to recenter herself. She smiled as she smelled a whiff of the cologne she had gotten on him, mixed in with his usual flowery-cedar scent.

She pulled her head back and sighed softly as she looked into his eyes and gently brought her hands up to his chest and lightly pushed back against him in an unspoken signal for him to let her go.

As he always did, he immediately responded to her signal. As he slid his arms from around her, she snaked her arm through his and twined them together as she started to walk away from the building. She looked at a few street signs and got her bearings, and set off to the west.

"We're near the Chūōdai foot bridge. We can take the other bridge over by the Tokufuneinari shrine to get into the 1-Chōme district, which will take us back to the Ginza. Are you all right with going someplace a little fancier to eat? I had originally planned to go someplace a little more casual. But we're pretty far from there now. Just getting back to the Ginza is going to be about a two kilometer walk. Once we get there we can go to a place a friend of mine runs in the Carioca building in the 5-Chōme district." She said as she steered them westward.

"Yeah, sure, that sounds fine ... if you promise not to let me embarrass myself at the fancier place." He said cautiously.

She smiled at that. "I promise. Just do what I do, or wait until I prompt you, and nobody will know you don't go to fancy places all the time." She said agreeably.

He was quiet for a while after that. She watched him out of the corner of her eye, and saw him looking around them constantly. She didn't think he was looking for threats. Well ... she didn't think that was _all_ he was looking for.

"What are you looking for?" She asked him quietly.

"Just tryin' ta figure out where we are." He said distractedly as his head kept swiveling. "It's a good thing you know this area, 'cuz now that we're not following the route I mapped out, I'm lost." He said sheepishly as he walked next to her.

She looked over at him and smiled softly. "How'd you find me then?"

"I just ran in the direction people pointed me to." He said nonchalantly. She nodded at that; she had suspected that would be how he would find her. They walked for a while after that in companionable silence.

She had to admit, her nerves were still jumpy from what had just happened, and her heart rate was still quite high. She knew for a fact that there was an Amazon in a building behind them who had tried to kill her. And she was sure there were probably more Amazons out in the city, probably looking for her. She shivered a bit at the thought and squeezed his hand a bit harder as they walked. He squeezed her hand reassuringly.

After about a kilometer, she felt her nerves were starting to calm down enough that she was starting to feel normal again. That was, of course, the point in their walk where a door opened abruptly in the wall of the building they were walking past.

She gasped in fright and hurriedly stepped back as the door swung open. Ranma immediately stepped in front of her and hit the door hard, and slammed whoever was on the other side of it back strongly. She cringed, expecting an attacking Amazon to come racing around the door at any moment.

Instead, she heard a man's voice shout in surprise followed by a crumpling sound. As the door swung closed on its own, they both saw a young man picking himself up off the sidewalk along with a couple of boxes he had been carrying.

"What the hell, man?! Why'd you do tha—" The young man immediately cut off what he had been saying when he saw the look on Ranma's face.

She stepped forward enough so she could see Ranma's face, and let out a hissing breath. Ranma's face was set into hard lines and he was glaring at the young man with clenched fists. She could tell he was going into full combat mode. She could see his eyes were starting to blank out as anger took control of him. She quickly reached for Ranma's arm and wrapped herself around it and smiled gently to the young man. "Sorry about that, you just startled us." She said politely while she held on to Ranma. She hoped that her physical presence would be enough to calm him down ... for the young man's sake.

The young man fixed his eyed on her, and nodded fearfully as he scooped his boxes up from the ground and hurriedly stepped backwards away from Ranma, who was still glaring. The young man's eyes darted to her again in an unspoken question. She nodded imperceptibly to him, and tightened her grip on Ranma's arm.

The young man took a hesitant step backwards, and Ranma did indeed flinch forward with a growl in his throat, but she held on to him and kept him in place. She opened her eyes wide at the young man and jutted her chin out to signal him to move it. The young man nodded and hurried away. Ranma stared after him until he couldn't be seen in the crowd on the street any more.

She tugged on his arm urgently. "Breathe, Ranma. It's all right, it was just a false alarm."

"People ... shouldn't ... go poppin' out on the street like that." He grumbled as he allowed her to pull him back. She sought his eyes and saw that they had cleared back to their usual clear blue. She sighed happily at that and pulled him into a hug. He returned the hug, but kept his head up and sweeping side to side as he watched the people around them.

Privately, she was happy to have him with her protecting her. She was still scared from what she had just survived, and she knew more was to come. If some innocents got caught up in that and had to deal with Ranma being protective of her ... then so be it, they'd live.

She pulled on his arm and got him walking again. He wrapped his arm around her properly so she wasn't just hanging on his arm, but was now being held by him around her waist. She noticed he kept his right arm clear to fight, though. She smiled thinly at that and shivered involuntarily.

He looked over at her in concern immediately. "You all right?" He asked her worriedly.

She nodded and looked at the sky. "It's just colder than I thought it was going to be. I think a storm's coming in."

He looked up and nodded. "Looks like rain." He said in a resigned tone.

She cringed at that. If it rained on her while she was dressed as she was, she was going to be miserable. She shivered again. "Let's hurry and try to get to the restaurant before the storm hits. If we have to, we can call a taxi to take us back to the train station after that."

He nodded and picked up his pace to match hers. She knew he could sprint at top speed for hours without too much effort, and that he was just humoring her with the pace he was setting to match hers. She sighed and vowed to do more endurance training in the future. _I am going to have to step up my game in the exercise department if I don't want to be embarrassed every time I am out with him._ She thought, chagrined.

The wind picked up as they walked, and she felt a noticeable drop in the air temperature. The air she breathed in through her nose now had a frosty bite to it. She was shivering uncontrollably now. She couldn't help it, her dress didn't offer her much in the way of protection against the elements.

They were getting close to where she was taking them, though. They were back in the outskirts of the Ginza, but she could tell they wouldn't make it before the storm hit. She sighed and just resigned herself to deal with it. She was a Tendo after all, she could be strong when she had to be.

It was getting darker as the storm clouds blotted out the little remaining light in the sky from the setting late afternoon sun. She looked around in appreciation as the Ginza lights came on all around them. She knew it was just their photosensors turning them on, but it felt like they were magically responding to her wish for warmth and light.

She smiled appreciatively at the blue and white twinkling lights wound around the trees planted in the sidewalk they were walking past. If she wasn't so cold, it would have been magical to just stand there and watch the beautiful lights swaying in the branches of the trees.

She felt something cold land on her nose, and looked up and gasped. It was snowing! Ranma looked up too, and smiled a little bit.

"Ranma ... it's snowing..." She whispered.

"Yeah ... I guess it is." He replied in his own whisper. She liked that he also seemed to want to respect the quietness of the snow by matching her whisper. She shivered harder as she looked up and watched the snow falling. It was a bit too early in the year for snow, but it wasn't uncommon for snow to hit Tokyo every now and then.

The sudden unseasonal snow was beautiful, but it was also cold. She hadn't brought anything with her for cold weather. She wasn't even wearing a shoulder-wrap, just her dress. Her teeth were starting to chatter.

Ranma wrapped his arms around her gently from behind as she looked up at the snow. She could feel the snowflakes catching in her eyelashes. It was a perfect moment. Her shivering even slowed down as his body heat warmed her. They stayed that way for a few wonderful moments, then she felt him step away from her.

She lowered her eyes from the sky and turned to look at him quizzically, just as he reached over and wrapped her up in the heavy silk of his shirt, and pulled her in close to him again. Her shivering stopped. She looked down at the shirt he had wrapped around her shoulders and smiled. _He's very sweet_. She thought happily as she reached up and pulled the shirt off of herself and stepped back away from him with a smile on her face as she handed it back to him.

"I don't want you to be cold for me. Besides, I'd look silly wearing your shirt up top, and my dress below." She said warmly to him. She loved that he had wanted to do it for her. "Maybe we can ... stop somewhere and get a wrap for me, or something?" She suggested.

"Nah, I have a better idea." He said as he pulled his shirt back on quickly, then spun her around so she was fully facing him. He looked into her eyes and smiled as he pulled her closer to him.

While she wasn't opposed to the idea of him holding her in the street, she also didn't think he could really hold her well enough to actually warm her up without something wrapped around her to catch and hold the heat. "That's nice, Ranma, but—"

She stopped mid-sentence and gasped. Waves of heat were radiating off him. She looked closely at him and focused like he had shown her, and saw a small yellow aura flicker to life around him. It was very faint, she could barely see it rising more than a couple of millimeters above his skin. But, she could _feel_ it.

"What are you doing?" She asked him happily as she slid all the way into his arms and felt herself unclench as the cold left her.

"Making you warm, Kiki." He said with a soft smile.

"How?" She smiled at his use of the nickname.

"I'm focusing my Ki and using it the same way I did the night I got you to turn off the lights." He said casually.

"H-how long ... can you do that?" She asked as she reveled in the warmth coming off him. It was easily two to five times what his normal body heat was.

He looked down into her eyes and smiled. "As long as you want."

She smiled at that but pressed him. "No, seriously, I'm curious, how long?"

He shrugged. "I've never actually tried to hold it like this before to make heat. It doesn't feel warm to me, just you. But, I'm only usin' a little bit of focus on my Ki ta do it, so I'm pretty sure I could do this all day." He said confidently.

"Can you move while you do it?" She asked.

"Sure. Battle auras wouldn't do much good in a fight otherwise." He said with a smile.

"Do you have to hold me for it to work? It will look awfully silly for you to have to carry me to the restaurant. Won't you get tired?" She teased him.

"Nah, you're so little, I could carry you around all day an' barely feel it."

"Really?"

"Yeah, you're really small and you don't weigh enough for me to notice when I pick you up. My arm fits all the way around you too. You're not solid like a guy. When I pick up Ryoga during a fight, that guy is _solid_. When I pick you up, it's weird, it's like you're barely there. You're even smaller than Akane, even though you're a bit taller 'an her." He said softly.

"What else do you notice about me when you hold me, other than the fact I am not built like Ryoga?" She asked him slyly, with a smile on her face as she leaned into him and batted her eyelashes at him prettily.

He blushed. She could tell it was an unexpected topic for him, and he wasn't prepared with anything to say. "Um ... you're soft and you smell good, and ... and ... it's ... it's just different... but, anyway, I don't think I'll need to carry ya anyways. I think if I'm just close to you, I can still keep you warm." He said as he hurriedly changed the subject.

She smiled radiantly at him. He was very sweet. It was also fun hearing him describe what it was like for him to hold her. She hadn't really thought about it, but she supposed it would be odd for someone like Ranma who mostly was physical with men, to hold women from time to time.

"Well, let's go then. I don't know about you, but I'm hungry." She said as she tugged on his arm and got him walking again. True to his word, she stayed warm as she walked next to him. She glanced over at him occasionally as they walked and marveled at how casually he was using his battle aura to keep her warm while his eyes scanned for danger around them.

She wanted to get to know him better. But she felt it was time for her to do something for him. "Hey Ranma..." she began, not sure exactly where to start. He looked over at her and nodded. "Would you like me to explain to you everything that was going on back at Tasaki?" She asked.

"Everything that was going on?"

"Yeah, I'm sure you noticed some stuff happening between me and the manager for instance."

"Oh, yeah, I did notice that. Why? What was it?"

She smiled and launched into an explanation of the subtext of their encounter at the jewelry store. As she had expected, he was originally annoyed with them once he understood how they had been treating them. But once she was done explaining it, he didn't seem inclined to contact his friend to try to get the manager in trouble.

"Wow ... I didn't know most of that was happenin' ... I knew they were suspicious of me, but I had the card an' everythin', I just figured they were bein' careful. Oh well, I guess it's no big deal though." He said in a disgruntled voice but with a smile for her.

She smiled back at him and walked quietly with him for a little while before she asked her next question. When she couldn't hold it in any longer, she blurted it out. "Why didn't you listen to me on the roof and fight harder against Shona?" She whispered.

He stopped walking and looked at her sadly. "I ... I can't ... it's hard for me ... I hate it when girls are hurt." He whispered back as he looked away and wouldn't meet her eyes.

"But why, Ranma?"

He shrugged. "It's hard ta explain." He said, still not looking at her.

"Is it really so bad? What if they attack you first?"

"Then I do what I have to do, and nothin' more." He said simply.

"But you know the Amazons are just going to just keep trying."

He was quiet for a while after that, then looked back at her and nodded. "I know." He said with resignation in his voice. She didn't have much to say in response to that at the moment. She dedicated a part of her mind to think about it, and to ask him more about it at dinner. She walked next to him quietly for a while after that and reveled in the warmth he was making for her. She watched other young women rushing about on the streets, also caught out in the cold unprepared, and was all the more grateful that she had him with her.

She stopped him just a little but further down the road. They had arrived. He looked at her quizzically. She smiled happily at him. She knew that the humble exterior of the building in the common-looking Ginza business neighborhood they were in didn't scream restaurant. He was in for a surprise.

They made their way into the lobby and she paused to straighten her clothes, and to pull out her makeup compact to do a bit of a touch-up, as best she could, to try to hide the signs of their earlier adventures. When she was done, she felt she had managed to hide most of it. She turned back to him and smiled as she held her hand out and started walking to the elevator. They were only going to the fourth floor, but she had absolutely _had it_ with stairs.

"What kind of place are we goin' to?" He asked as they waited for the elevator.

She looked over at him and smiled. "If I said the words _three starred Michelin restaurant_ , would they mean anything to you?" She asked him curiously. He shrugged in reply and shook his head. She winked at him. "Well, let's just say, you won't forget this place." She said as the elevator dinged and they walked into it.

"It's not super fancy, is it? I don't know how to eat at a super fancy place." He said nervously as the elevator lifted them rapidly up the floors.

She smiled at him as the elevator dinged as they reached their floor. "Don't worry, Ranma. They do Kaiseki dining here. It will feel like you are eating at home." She said with some humor in her voice as they started to walk down the hall.

"So ... it's just normal stuff?" He asked.

She nodded happily. "Really really good normal food, but yes, they do Kaiseki style here ... many courses from a fixed seasonal menu. Just like what Kasumi does at home." She said softly as they arrived at the hallway that lead to the restaurant. Ranma relaxed a little next to her, and she smiled softly to herself as they walked towards the restaurant.

There was a traditional set of Noren curtains set at the end of a hallway decorated with paper wall dividers, and a small little stone garden complete with lights. It was very traditional looking. Ranma let out a slow breath as he took it all in. She could tell he wanted to whistle, but he was trying to be polite.

"This place ... looks ... expensive..." He said hesitantly as he looked over at her nervously.

She grinned at him. "It is, but don't worry about it." She whispered to him as they approached the curtains.

"I don't really know how to—"

"Don't worry, just wait for me to take the lead. You can mostly just stand there and not say much. If someone asks you a direct question, just be polite. You don't need to use honorific speech here, if that's what you're afraid of. It'll be fine, don't worry. Even if you make a mistake, you'll be with me; _nobody_ is going to say anything rude to you." She said with a wink as she pulled him through the curtains.

He gulped and nodded nervously at her as they entered the foyer to the restaurant. It was a dimly lit alcove set in front of a wall that blocked off the view of the main dining area, except for a small doorway set into the far corner, that was also blocked off with another set of Noren curtains. There was a small desk in the corner set in front of the doorway to the main part of the restaurant. It was a place that respected the privacy of its guests.

There was a small fountain set on top of the desk, along with a register to write one's name down, if someone didn't have a reservation, and was hoping for a cancelation. There was a single bench on the far wall flanked by plants on either end. There was also a print of the famous _Great Wave off Kanagawa_ painting by Hokusai on the wall.

Standing behind the desk was a woman in her late twenties to early thirties. She bowed to both of them and was halfway through the usual welcome to customers she probably always gave, when she gasped as she recognized who it was.

"Nabiki! Long time no see! How are you?!" The woman exclaimed excitedly as she dropped her pretense and rushed around the desk to sweep her up in a hug and spin her around. She hugged the woman back, and smiled happily.

As soon as the woman put her down she grasped her forearms happily, and smiled at her. "I'm fine; it's good to see you! How are you?"

"Oh, I can't complain. We're doing well here, and the issues you helped us with have gone away entirely. How's your family? Are your sisters still breaking everyone's hearts?"

"Well, Akane is for sure, but Kasumi is still waiting for Doctor Tofu to notice her." She replied happily.

"Is that so? Poor Kasumi. And what about you, my dear? Who's your friend?" The woman asked slyly as she looked Ranma up and down approvingly. She noticed that the woman's eyes lingered for a moment on Ranma's injured hand, but the woman didn't say anything about it.

She blushed and waved Ranma forward. "This is Ranma. We're on a date right now." She said shyly as Ranma stepped forward and bowed.

"Oh my, isn't he polite?" The woman said warmly, as she continued to size Ranma up. "My my, he'll certainly do, won't he?" The older woman said with a wink. She nodded a small but happy nod. She knew she was blushing even harder now.

"He's a little nervous. He's never been here before. Ranma, this is Mariko; Mariko, this is Ranma. As I said, Ranma asked me out on a date tonight. And Ranma, Mariko is the co-owner of this place along with her husband, Toro, who is the head chef." She said by way of introductions and explanations.

"You know it. So, what brings you here tonight dressed so fancy?" Mariko asked with a wink as the older woman ran her eye over how she was dressed. She noticed that Mariko's eyes stayed on her earrings for a moment, and twinkled a bit. She smiled at the unspoken praise.

"We have had some ... _issues_ with out plans tonight, and the place we were going to go to is out of reach now. I know I don't have any reservations, but could you squeeze us in somewhere?"

"Ah, well, Nabiki, we are very busy tonight, we have turned away all sorts of people without reservations today. Only very important people are being let in tonight." Mariko said with a small, mischievous smile.

"I see..." She replied with a mischievous smile of her own. Ranma started to turn back towards the door with a disappointed frown on his face. She set her hand gently on his arm as a silent signal. He looked back at her with a puzzled expression on his face, but stopped moving. "... and, would you happen to know what might qualify someone to reach such an exalted status?" She asked Mariko softly, with a twinkle in her eye.

"Well ... the prime minister and his cabinet would qualify, visiting foreign dignitaries for sure, my favorite band of course, and anyone who has done us a great service." Mariko said brightly with a wink.

"Just out of curiosity, if a VIP _were_ to show up, do you have any of the private rooms available tonight?"

"Oh, wouldn't you know it, the Mizuho Financial group's reservations just got canceled for room one, and it just happens to be free. For VIP-level guests only, you understand." Mariko said warmly.

"Oh, that would be _perfect_ for a VIP party. I've always liked that room." She said with a small smile while Ranma looked at her quizzically.

"Well, in that case ... I suppose we could let you use it tonight, you know, in case you were to happen to run into any real important people who might want to know about our fine establishment." Mariko said with a growing smile.

"Oh, you are too kind. Thank you, we will be happy to try out your room, and of course, spread the word to any _actual_ important people we might come across in our travels." She replied happily.

Ranma was openly looking at her in confusion now. She reached over to him and grasped his hand warmly and tugged him to step towards her as Mariko poked her head beyond the second set of Noren curtains and waved someone forward.

A moment later, a young man in formal evening-wear entered the foyer, and bowed to them politely. When his eyes rested on her his polite smile changed into a real one.

She smiled back and pulled on Ranma's hand harder to signal him to follow her. She was sure he was catching on that it had all been just a fun little act. If not, she would explain it later once they were in their room.

As they passed Mariko, the hostess rested her hand lightly on Ranma's shoulder and paused him for a moment. She continued forward and let him go, to stand next to the doorway with a smile on her face.

"Young man, you are the _only_ guy my little Nabiki has _ever_ brought here, even though I have been asking her to visit us for some time now. The few times she had visited us, she has always come alone. You should feel _honored_. Make sure you treat her _right_." Mariko said in a stage whisper.

"Don't worry, Ranma takes _very_ good care of me. I know for a fact he will go to great heights for me." She said with a soft smile.

"Well, in that case, enjoy your evening with us you two. And Ranma, welcome to the Kojyu." Mariko said with a wide smile and a sweeping bow.

She reached her hand out for Ranma, and as he grasped it, she pulled him through the Noren curtains to follow the staff member into the warmer main room that was filled with the delicious smells of food being prepared. The young staff member led them proudly through the main dining room, straight to their private room. The main room had a bar to her right were most people ate while they watched the chef work. There was a dance floor to the left and a small stage for live bands to perform on occasion. The room had been done in cream tones and had exposed wood and recessed soft lighting. Every seat at the bar was occupied with people in nice clothing quietly chatting to each other or focusing on their meals. Without exception, every diner in the room was dressed nicely and clearly had money. Ranma looked at her with wide eyes. She squeezed his hand to reassure him.

She smiled and waved at the staff as they passed through the room. Several of them smiled and waved back, and a few even dropped what they were doing to rush over to them when they recognized her. One of the younger staff even stumbled a bit in their haste to reach them. Ranma flinched a bit at the rushing motion towards them, but she soothed him by squeezing his hand reassuringly. They were among friends.

The staff who had rushed over to them lined up to either side of the doorway they were being led towards. The men were dressed in formal western slacks and a Japanese style top made up with a hanten and juban combination. The women were dressed in kimonos and dresses. She noted with some amusement the jealousy in the eyes of the staff who looked at the young man escorting them, and also the pride of the posture of their escort. Ranma was noticing it as well and shot her a couple of quizzical looks but didn't say anything.

The staff bowed in unison to them as they entered their room. Their escort followed them into the room along with an older gentleman from the staff. The room was small but very elegant. It had a western style dark wood table with four chairs, soft overhead lighting, and an ornate wooden cabinet on the far wall with a small rock garden and lantern combination set inside it behind roll-up bamboo dividers that had been pulled up about two thirds of their maximum height. The details were subtle, but for people who knew what to look for, the place screamed _elegant_ and _expensive._ She smiled in approval.

"Will you be needing anything else, Miss Tendo?" Their escort asked stiffly, with obvious pride in his voice.

She smiled and shook her head. "No, thank you, we should be all right now. Thank you for your excellent service." The younger man beamed with pride, bowed, and left their room hurriedly.

The older gentleman reached a graceful hand over to the western style door and closed it softly. He then turned to her with a twinkle in his eye and a small smile on his face. It was not a face etched with laughter lines. He held his hands out to her gently at the waist.

She smiled and let go of Ranma's hand, and walked over to the older gentleman, and took his hands in her own. "How are you, Kamenosuke?"

"I am, as always, in your service, Miss Tendo. But to the point of your question, I am well. It is always a pleasure to see you, Miss Tendo." The man said gravely, but with a small hint of joy in his voice.

She smiled gracefully at him and inclined her head to acknowledge his kind words. "It is always a pleasure for me to be able to visit as well."

"You are too kind, Miss Tendo. Might I have the honor of an introduction of your guest?"

"Yes, of course. Please excuse my lack of manners. The cold streets have obviously done me no courtesy today. Kamenosuke, this is Ranma Saotome. He is the heir to the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts, and my date for the evening." She said as she reached her hand out for Ranma to join her.

Ranma moved immediately to stand at her side as he slid his hand into hers while he inclined his head politely to the older gentleman.

Kamenosuke looked Ranma up and down with a critical eye before he turned his attention back to her with another small smile on his face. "If you deem him worthy of your company, Miss Tendo, he must be special indeed." The older gentleman said gracefully. She smiled at that and nodded happily.

"Please, be seated." Kamenosuke said with ceremony, but with a certain amount of familiarity in his voice as well.

Ranma looked at her with mild panic in his eyes after he shot a glance at the western style chairs. She was sure he knew there were customs for chairs on a date, but that he didn't know what to do in the situation they were in. She smiled at him and squeezed his hand then released it with a gentle push away from her. She then stared at the chair opposite from the one she was heading towards then back to him and back again. Ranma got the message and stepped around to the opposite side of the table from her.

Kamenosuke pulled her own chair out from the table regally, and gently slid it back into place under her as she sat down. Ranma waited and watched as she was seated, then hurriedly pulled his own chair out and sat in it. He hadn't been particularly graceful about it, but he also hadn't done anything to draw attention to himself. Kamenosuke, of course, said nothing about it.

Once they were both seated, the older gentleman walked to the head of the table and assumed a standard waiter's pose with a slight incline of his head towards herself. "Shall I bring you your favorite drink, or would you like something else this evening?" He asked her softly.

"Yes, thank you, my favorite would be lovely." She said happily as she started to relax. They were in a safe place, surrounded by friendly people, in a good environment, and Ranma was with her. Her nerves were mellowing, and her adrenaline levels were bottoming out.

"And for you, sir?" Kamenosuke asked smoothly as he switched his attention to Ranma.

Ranma darted his eyes to her in a mild panic. She simply smiled and raised her eyebrows at him. If he couldn't figure out how to order a drink, then there was simply no hope for him.

"Oh, um, could I just have water, please?" He replied hesitantly.

"Of course sir, a fine and healthy choice, sir." Kamenosuke said with a smile. "Far better for you than what our Miss Tendo favors." The older gentleman said in a mildly reproachful and teasing tone.

She smiled warmly at him as he backed away towards the door. "I only have them on special occasions, Kamenosuke."

"Of course, Miss Tendo. Of course."

"Will I see you again tonight?" She asked as the older gentleman headed for the door.

He stopped and turned to address her with a soft smile on his face. "Miss Tendo, even if this wasn't the table I would have been taking care of, it would be now. I will, of course, be taking care of you tonight, personally." The older gentleman said with pride and affection in his voice.

She inclined her head gently to that and smiled as the older gentleman backed out of their private room, gently closed the door, and left them alone. She swung her gaze back to Ranma and let out a happy sigh.

Ranma was eying her with a mixture of respect, and curiosity. "Geez, Nabiki. What did you do for them — save their kid from drownin' or somethin'?"

She smiled gently at him as she shook her head. "I am afraid I can't tell anyone the details of things I help people with, without their consent. Not even you, Ranma. All I can tell you is that I helped them with something that was a real problem for them, and nobody else they had gone to had been able to help them."

"Wow ... Riko wasn't kidding about the people you know, was she?" He asked with a note of disbelief in his voice.

"Riko ... talks too much sometimes." She said with a small smile. "But, we aren't out together to talk about what I have done for other people, or what they've done for me. We're out together to get to know each other bet—"

A small knock at the door interrupted her, and she sighed as she called out permission to enter. A young woman hurriedly entered the room, and closed the door gently behind her. The young woman smiled nervously at both of them, then hurried over to Ranma's side of the table.

"Please sir, may I see your hand?" The young woman asked as she knelt down next to him.

She smiled as she realized what the young woman's purpose in the room was. Mariko didn't miss much. Ranma looked at her questioningly, so she smiled and nodded. Ranma then reached across himself and held his uninjured hand out to the young woman awkwardly, because the young woman was kneeling on the side of his injured hand.

The young woman looked over at her with some exasperation in her eyes. She smiled in answer. Ranma was Ranma, they would just have to deal with him as he was. The young woman waited a few more moments, obviously hoping she would step in and rescue her from the embarrassment of having to correct Ranma.

She sighed and nodded after another few heartbeats. She didn't want the young woman to be embarrassed. "Ranma..." She said gently. He looked over at her with some embarrassment on his own face. "She's here to look at your injured hand." She said softly.

"Oh ..." Ranma said sheepishly as he switched the hand he was holding out to the young woman. Ranma's new friend looked over at her with grateful eyes before she produced a small first-aid kit from inside the sleeve of her kimono and started to expertly clean and dress the wound. Less than a minute later the young woman closed and re-hid the kit, stood and bowed to them both, and hurried out of the room.

Ranma looked over at her with wide eyes. She smiled at him. "Mariko obviously noticed you were hurt, and sent someone in to discretely take care of it for you. This is just that kind of place. They will bring someone in to give you a replacement pair of stockings if they notice yours are ripped, or someone to mend a hole in a shirt. All discretely, of course." She said with a small smile. Ranma nodded nervously at her. She could tell the kind of people she knew, and the things she could make happen, were intimidating him. They needed to talk. She wanted him comfortable in her world, just like she wanted to be comfortable in his.

"Anyway, as I was saying, I want us to get to know each other better." He nodded at that and smiled at her. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she gathered her courage. It was far too soon in their relationship for her to press him for more of a commitment to her, but she _needed_ at least some clue from him.

She blew the last of her breath out determinedly, and began as gently as she could. "So ... let's talk. What happens at the end of the week, Ranma? Assuming I manage to keep my promise to you, where does that leave things between you and me?" She whispered. It was hard, even in private with him, even after he had fought for her, and saved her life, to open up to him. _Very few_ people knew who she really was — really only Daddy and Riko knew the real her. But if she was going to build a relationship with Ranma, then he _had to_ get to know her as she really was. She bit her lower lip nervously as she waited for him to respond.

"I ... I don't ..." He stammered as he looked down at the table.

"I am not trying to put you on the spot, Ranma. I'm just trying to figure out how we can build a relationship together." She tried to reassure him.

He nodded eagerly to that and looked back up at her. She smiled at him as she pulled in another deep breath and reached inside of herself for the courage to continue. She locked eyes with him, and stared at him for several moments before she could continue. As she did so, a light knock sounded at the door. She kept her eyes on Ranma as she softly called out permission to enter with another sigh. She appreciated the staff's efforts to take care of her, but she really wanted to just sit and talk with Ranma.

Kamenosuke swiftly brought their drinks in, set them down, and left without a word. He was the epitome of the professional and discrete wait staff who could tell when he was intruding on a private moment.

Ranma eyed the sakura-syrup flavored soda Kamenosuke had brought her with some obvious jealousy. She smiled at that and winked at him. Then she sucked in another deep breath, and braced herself. "Ranma?" She asked in a hesitant voice. She was scared to ask her next question, but she felt she had to.

"Ya?" He answered her casually as he took a sip of his water. She left her soda untouched.

"Ranma ... what _is_ so special about me?" She whispered.

"What do you mean?" He asked, confused.

"What Ukyo said, this morning ... why me? Why, when I asked you to, did you finally start ending things with the rest of them? What's so special about me? Why are you doing it?" She whispered with a wavering voice as her eyes slid down to the tabletop. She couldn't look him in the eye right now.

He didn't answer her right away. The silence grew between them until it felt like another person was in the room with them. The fear that he was just playing with her was gnawing at her. She was deathly afraid that at any moment he was going to jump back from the table, stick his tongue out and laugh at her, and say it had all been a joke. At this point, she didn't know how she would be able to recover from something like that. Him doing that would be the same kind of brutal long-game revenge plan that she herself would have come up with, before she had gotten involved with him. It grew so silent in their room, she could hear that faint ringing sound in her ears that she could hear only when it was abnormally quiet. She couldn't bear the silence anymore, she had to say something! She opened her mouth to ask him again, but he interrupted her in a quiet voice.

"I .... I don't know." He said in a whisper so small, she barely heard him.

She looked up at him and found him looking down at the table as she had been. She decided to wait, and went back to looking down at the table as well.

"I ... it's just ... I dunno, Nabiki. You're ... the only one who's ever said anything like what you said to me when this all started. I could tell you didn't really mean it when you said it, but I could also tell that you were holdin' back, that something else was goin' on. You're a lot more ... real ... than a lot of people I know, and you mean what you say. And you don't just expect me to do stuff, you do stuff for me too ... not a lot of people do that, ya know?"

"Some of them have done things for you." She said as a roundabout way of bringing up Akane. She didn't want to mention her little sister's name right now.

"Yeah ... you're right, some of them have done stuff for me too ... but not like you, Nabiki. But it's not about how much you do, or I do ... it isn't about presents or favors ... it's ... I dunno, it's just ... you do more than just make little gestures, ya know? Like the night you stood up to your Dad, and yesterday when you stood up to that lyin' girl..." He trailed off, obviously embarrassed.

"But I hadn't done any of those things when we made our promises to each other." She whispered with a quaver in her voice.

"I know."

"Then why ...?"

"I don't ... know. I've spent my whole life working on my instincts. My instincts help me fight, and help me react to things. When you said what you said, I felt I should trust you." He whispered.

"Do your instincts tell you to trust anyone else?" She asked carefully as she tried to look into his eyes. She couldn't though, because he was looking carefully down into his lap. He didn't say anything for a moment. But, after a while, he looked up into her eyes, and then nodded a small nod. In his eyes she saw sincerity and ... something else she didn't have words for.

Before she could respond to him, he continued in a rush. "But anyway, you were right. I was tired of them chasin' after me, and it was time to make it stop. I probably woulda let it go on for way too long if you hadn't pushed me to stop it. An' I still ended up hurtin' Uc—Ukyo really bad by waitin' so long." He said glumly.

She was sad for him that he was having to correct himself on the name he called Ukyo. She was also ashamed to admit to herself that she was also glad that he was putting distance between himself and Ukyo.

"But... where does that leave us at the end of the week, Ranma?" She couldn't help herself from pressing him.

"Don't worry, I won't let them hurt you, if that's what you mean." He said earnestly as he reached for his water again.

She sighed gently as she looked into his eyes and smiled a special smile for him. "That wasn't what I meant, Ranma. But, since you brought it up. I want to thank you again for protecting me. That is one of the things about you which makes you very special."

"Whadda ya mean?" He asked softly as he looked into his lap again.

She stared at him for a few seconds and tried to gather her thoughts. She was about to tell him something incredibly personal, and embarrassing. But she wanted to tell him anyway, it was the least she could do for someone who had fought for her and saved her life.

"When you protect me ..." She started out tentatively. He nodded softly to show he was listening, but he kept his eyes in his lap. "When you protect me ... I can tell how you feel, Ranma. I _know_ you would come for me, no matter where I was, no matter what was going on, and that you would fight for me. Not that I think I'm special, I _know_ you would come for most people you know." She said with a soft smile.

He didn't look up at her, but he did nod again and she thought she could see a small smile etching the corners of his mouth. So she pressed onward. "When you came for me at the top of that roof, I was scared to death, and ... I also was feeling things for you that sent shivers up and down my spine. I feel that way every time you fight for me or protect me.

"It feels like ... it's like when the music starts out slow, then builds up to just below a crescendo, then it drops before it starts to rise again, and you can _feel_ it, you know? Then the deep bass note strikes, or the power chord hits, and it resonates, and even though you knew it was coming, it makes your whole body shiver. It's like that.

"It's the feeling you get when the hero in the movie makes the ultimate sacrifice for the person they love. It's how you feel when the girl in the love story cries out to the boy to wait, and to come back to her, and he pauses in the rain and doesn't look back at her, and the tension builds, and then he turns, and he loves her, and he runs back to her. It's like all of that, and more..." She trailed off softly. She had no more words for how she felt about him protecting her. Ranma was still looking into his lap.

 _Great ... I've probably weirded him out by telling him that_. She thought nervously. A moment later he lifted his eyes out of his lap, and looked at her with a mostly blank face, but with wide eyes. She wasn't sure if she had embarrassed him, confused him, or had simply told him something he already knew. But he smiled softly at her and nodded again, so she tried to put more of how she felt into words she knew weren't doing her feelings justice.

"I ... I know I'm not describing it very well, because it's all feelings. But it feels _wonderful_ , to have you watching over me, Ranma. I have never felt more safe, and protected, and needed in my life, than when I am with you.

"You watch me, constantly. Your attention is on me, and only me. You listen to what I say, and all the while, you are constantly, always, scanning for danger. What you are offering me, and what you represent, is something most women would be more than happy to accept, and be happy with their whole lives. And a part of me really really _really_ wants to as well.

"It's exhausting sometimes, you know, being the strong woman. Oh, I can do it, and I'm damn good at it too. But having someone open doors for me, and willing to fight for me, and to keep me warm as I walk next to them on a cold evening ... I have to admit, that feels _incredible_."

He was smiling at her now and nodding shyly. She reached her hand across the table for his hand, which he quickly placed in hers. Then she returned his smile somewhat bitterly. She didn't want to say what she was going to say next, but she had to risk it. They either had to build their relationship from a foundation they both considered solid, or they had no hope.

"It feels wonderful ... but ... but I can't build a relationship with you based _only_ on your desire to protect me." She finished somewhat lamely as she let go of his hand and reached for her soda with a shaky hand and averted her eyes down to the table. It was up to him what happened next.

"I don't ... understand..." Ranma said nervously as she drank.

She set her glass down as calmly as she could, laced her fingers together, and set her chin on them, and tried to explain. She hoped he hadn't noticed that her hands were shaking. "Well, for one thing, if I start training seriously again, could I get as strong as Akane?"

"Sure."

"Could I get stronger than her?"

"Sure."

"Could I get as strong as you?"

"Um ... I dunno; maybe."

"See, there it is, you're already starting to feel it. What if I did, Ranma? What if I got as strong as you, or even stronger, like the time Akane ate those freaky noodles of the old lecher? Could you handle it?"

"I ..."

"And that's the problem with trying to build a relationship on a foundation based on you being strong and protecting me. I _love_ that you want to protect me, and that you are so loyal, and that you are strong, and willing to do it. But I _can't_ build a long term relationship on that _alone_. I want to, but I can't." She said softly.

"Then ... what ..." He stammered, he looked crestfallen.

She smiled at him. "That's what we're on this date to find out ... so ... let's talk." She whispered to him hopefully.

He smiled at her and just stared at her for a moment. Before she could encourage him to say something, a knock sounded on their door again. She almost cursed but managed to control herself and simply sighed instead as she called out permission to enter.

Kamenosuke entered the room smoothly, and walked quickly up to their table. "Will you be dining with us with the standard Kaiseki menu? Or would you like to make a special request for tonight?" He asked. It was left unsaid that only VIP guests got to make special menu requests at a Kaiseki restaurant.

She looked over at Ranma, who shrugged, then back at Kamenosuke and smiled. "I think both of us would be delighted to see the lovely selections you have for your Kaiseki menu tonight." She said happily.

Kamenosuke bowed and smiled a knowing smile. "Of course, Miss Tendo. I will let the chef know. I will also mark your door as strictly not to be disturbed. Your first course should be served in about ten minutes. I will knock three times to announce my presence, if that is all right with you?"

"That would be perfect, thank you so much." She said warmly as the older gentleman backed quickly out of the room. Ranma raised an eyebrow to her quizzically. "He's one of the best. He knows we're talking and don't want to be disturbed. Don't worry, I trust him." She said.

"Oh, all right. Hey ... can I ask you a question?" He asked.

She smiled and nodde. "Sure."

"How ... how did you learn all this stuff? Did your parents show you?"

She smiled sadly. "My mother showed me some of these things, the rest I learned by observing people, and trial and error." She said gently. He looked disappointed at her answer, so she hurried to encourage him. "Don't worry, just like with the rest of your skills, I am sure if you practice it, you will get the finer points of the social graces down in no time." She said with a smile.

He nodded at that and took another sip of his drink. She decided to bring the conversation back on topic. "So, back to what we were talking about ... what's so special about me, Ranma?" She asked nervously.

He gulped down a mouthful of water, and set his glass down gently, as she watched the gears of his mind turning show on his face while he tried to think of what to say. Finally, he raised his eyes to hers. "Well ... you're ... pretty..." He said hesitantly.

She waited for a few moments, hoping he would complete the thought. When he didn't, she sighed. "All right, so I'm beautiful. So what? Is that it? Is that what you want to build a relationship on, that I'm pretty?"

"I ... I don't, I—"

"Because you know, in twenty or thirty years, I won't be beautiful like a teenager any more. And in another twenty or so years, my beauty will be fading. Would you leave me then?"

"No, I'd never—"

"Why not?" She asked with some heat in her voice. She was trying not to be annoyed, but it was hard.

"I—"

"If all you can think to say is that I'm pretty, then once my beauty fades, wouldn't your interest in me fade too?" She pressed him.

"No. It's not like that, I—"

"Then what?!" She interrupted him, probably more harshly than she should have, but she was frustrated. This wasn't going the way she had pictured it in her mind.

"I didn't mean it like that." He said quietly.

"Mean what?"

"I ... it's not just what's on your outside... it's your inside too." He whispered. She stared at him and saw a blush creeping up his neck.

She smiled at him. It was a start. She could work with what he was giving her. She was going to tease him though, if for no other reason than she wanted to show him that he didn't know as much about her as he thought he did.

"All right, well, since you think I'm so beautiful, what color are my eyes, Ranma?" She teased him as she closed them and smiled. She had a feeling he wouldn't be able to tell h—

"Light brown." Ranma said softly, interrupting her thoughts.

She opened her eyes and looked at him with a bit more respect. "That's right. I'm ... impressed you noticed."

He nodded and shrugged. "I notice things. It isn't anythin' special. You have lighter eyes than Akane, and your hair is lighter too. Kasumi's hair is lighter than yours, but her eyes are about the same color. Ranma said as he ticked the points off on his fingers and smiled softly.

She smiled widely at him. "Wow, Ranma. I bet if I asked most of the guys at our school, they couldn't have said all that about us even if they were offered money to do it."

Ranma shrugged again. "I get attacked a lot. I have to pay attention to my surroundin's."

"Anything else you know about me?" She asked, curious.

"Ye— ... no, nevermind."

"Come on, go ahead, it's all right." She encouraged him.

He looked at her mutely for a moment, then nodded. "I know what your name means." He said in an embarrassed tone.

She raised an eyebrow at him and smiled. "Is that so?"

"Yeah, I wanted to practice my writing, so I figured I would use your name to practice — because it's fun to say." He said in a voice so quiet, it was almost a whisper. He looked down at the table in embarrassment.

She grinned at him. "So, what does my name mean?" She whispered in return as she felt herself flush with happy warmth.

"The root's Nabiku, it means to bend, wave, bow to ... stuff like that."

"Don't forget _yield to,_ that's the one I go with." She said happily.

"Whadda ya mean?"

"I have always taken my name as a sign that others should yield to me." She said with a wink. "Did you know the Kanji for that in Mandarin is Mí? That means _extravagant_. Kind of fits me, don't you think?" She said teasingly.

He nodded carefully. "Yeah, I guess that fits. You do like money and stuff, don't you?" He said slowly as his eyes roamed the room around them.

She sighed. "Ranma, I'm a person. I am more than the sum of my hobbies and interests. I just happen to be very good with money and finances, and I like to make money. That's all. I also like music, and dancing, and eating nice things. None of those things define me. Just like I know that you can apparently cook, and you play sports, and like watching movies. None of those things are you. There's nothing wrong with having hobbies, and there is certainly nothing wrong with earning money." She said defensively.

He blinked at her rapidly and nodded. "I ... I guess you're right ... sorry. You really are good with making money though. I guess that's a really good thing ... I know how much of a problem me and Pop stayin' with your family is." He said with embarrassment in his voice, and his eyes downcast.

She smiled gently at him and waited until he met her eyes again. "Would you like to know a secret?" She asked him carefully. He looked at her blankly then nodded. She sighed. "This is a serious secret, you have to promise that you will keep the secret if I tell you." She said a bit more sternly.

"Oh ... yeah, sure, I promise, I won't tell nobody. You have my word." He said.

She smiled and nodded. "Ranma ... haven't you ever wondered how my family has money to go on trips to the beach in the south, and skiing in the north? Haven't you ever wondered how it is we have a large house on a very large plot of land complete with walls, a dojo and a koi pond? And didn't you wonder how we so easily paid for you to attend Furinkan when you arrived?" She asked him softly. He looked at her with wide eyes, and shook his head slowly. "Well ... think about it." She prompted him.

He nodded and closed his eyes for a few moments, then looked at her strangely. "But ... okay, so you have money to do that stuff, and have those things, but ... you and your dad are always sayin' how tight money is, and ... stuff." He said with confusion.

She nodded. "Yup. We do that. I have to admit, part of the reason I said those things to you in the past was just to tease you or to get you to do what I wanted. Daddy says them for mostly the same reasons. We don't spend money just on whatever, and sometimes to keep up appearances Daddy will do things like make it seem we are out of money for food. It keeps people from asking us for money. But the truth is, we have enough money to be comfortable."

"Where ... how ...?" Ranma tried to ask.

"Haven't you ever noticed that suit of armor my daddy puts on every now and then?"

"Yeah..."

"That's Samurai armor. It's real. It's our family's. The Tendos were high ranking Samurai under the Tokugawa Shogunate. We weren't a Daimyo family like the Kuno family, but we did all right for ourselves." She whispered somewhat proudly.

Ranma opened his mouth to say something, but no sound came out. She watched him carefully while he came to terms with what she told him. He eventually swallowed nervously and uttered a single word.

"Wow." He said in a small voice as he fidgeted in his seat.

She smiled at him and waited for more. He took a sip of water and then set his glass down nervously. He looked up into her eyes again, and took a deep breath. "Does ... does my Pop know? Is that why he engaged me to your family?" He whispered.

She smiled and shrugged. "I don't know what Daddy has told him. Your dad must have at least some clue though, the Tendos don't exact live in squalor, Ranma." She said with a wink.

He nodded and looked down at the table. "I'm sorry we're such a burden." He mumbled in an embarrassed voice.

A hot anger blossomed to life inside her chest, and she reached her hand to him across the table, and grasped his hand gently but firmly until he looked up at her. When he did, she smiled gently at him. "You, Ranma, are not a burden. Your dad is, but _you_ ... are _not_. Sure, you like to eat, but I am well aware of the things you do for our family. I have been watching you since you showed up, you know. You aren't like your dad. I never would have agreed to be engaged to you if you were, even for pretend." She said fiercely as she squeezed his hand again.

Ranma looked down at the table and nodded, embarrassed. "I try." He said softly.

She shook her head gently. "You do more than try. You have done great things for our family. You have protected all of us, multiple times. You have been hurt badly defending my little sister. You were gentle and kind with her, even when she was angry with you. Oh sure, sometimes you would tease her, or yell back at her. But you never screamed at her, raised your hand to her, or said unforgivable things to her. You just gave as good as you got. And frankly, both of you can be very immature." She said with a soft smile while Ranma blushed at the praise.

"But none of that matters to me." She continued. "What matters to me is I have watched you keep your promises to my family, even when they weren't easy to keep. I've watched you stand by your oaths, even when it cost you a personal price to keep them. I've seen you deliberately step into the path of danger in order to protect my younger sister, and the rest of us. You are even patient and kind to my Daddy. I know that Daddy seems ... off ... these days. He isn't the same person he was when Mom was alive. And I think training with that awful old man didn't make things any better." She said bitterly as she stared at the table for a moment, lost in thought.

Then she refocused on him and smiled. "You do lots of things for us, Ranma. That's part of the reason why I agreed to date you. I want to do things for you too. It shouldn't only be you giving to my family. The Tendos need to be as strong as you are." She said soberly.

Ranma was quiet for a few moments as he let what she had said sink in. He finally cleared his throat nervously. "You do stuff for me. Like when you went against that girl accusin' me of gropin' her." He said softly. "You're stronger than you think you are." He added with approval in his voice.

She smiled at that. "You have no idea, Ranma. I am capable of doing terrible things to people. I _have_ done terrible things to people. If someone crosses me or my family, they don't get a second chance. I am not proud of it, but I am not ashamed of it either. It just is. I will do what must be done." She said in a neutral voice. Ranma looked up at her and nodded. She could tell he could respect what she was saying. "And I don't have the same qualms about hurting women you do, Ranma." She said teasingly. Ranma flinched at that, and she frowned. "Why is that, Ranma? If a woman is a threat to you, why do you hold back? You seem ... almost afraid?"

He nodded slowly and looked at the table.

"What could make the great Ranma Saotome be so frightened? Especially of a mere woman?" She teased him.

He looked up at her and fixed eyes on hers that seemed much older than she knew he was. He was silent for a while as he seemed to gather his thoughts. She sat and patiently waited for him while she took a couple of sips from her soda. Eventually, he spoke up hesitantly. "It's not that I'm scared ... it's ... I dunno. It's hard ta explain..." He said softly. She nodded and waited for him to figure out how to explain it to her. She smiled softly to encourage him.

"I don't like seein' girls get hurt. Even if Pop hadn't raised me, I think I would still feel that way." He said quietly without looking into eyes. She nodded and waited. "I ... there's more ... um ... I feel really ... bad ... about it." He said in a mixed voice.

She raised her eyebrow at him, she didn't understand what he was trying to say. Had he hurt people? Was that what he meant? "What are you trying to tell me, Ranma?" She asked, confused.

"Um ... all right ... I'll tell ya ... but you hafta promise to keep it a secret, especially from your dad and Pop." He said in a small but firm voice as he raised his eyes and met hers earnestly.

She nodded and smiled at him. "I am very good at keeping secrets, Ranma. You know that. Don't worry, I promise I'll keep yours too." She whispered with a wink.

He nodded, apparently satisfied with her promise, and cleared his throat before he took a sip of water and began to speak. "See, the thing is ... it isn't just girls, I don't really like seein' anyone hurt real bad, ya know? But girls especially, even hearin' about it is bad..." he said hesitantly. She could tell he was ashamed of what he was telling her.

She smiled at him and silently waited for him to gather his courage and tell her what he wanted to tell her.

"When I hear about people bein' hurt real bad, especially if it's a girl, and especially when it's _real_ bad ... I feel sick, like I'm gonna pass out. I have ta lay down or I'll fall down when I feel like that." He whispered.

She reached across the table and put her hand over his to encourage him to finish it. She knew he hadn't said everything quite yet.

"I ... I know Pops would be mad at me if he knew about it, but I can't help it!" He whispered while he stared at the table.

She felt that he had now mostly told her everything he was likely to tell her. "So? What's so wrong with having a strong negative reaction to people's pain? There's nothing bad about that." She said gently.

"You don't understand ... Pop trained me to be strong. I'm not supposed to feel _anythin'_. Pop would want to start my trainin' all over again if he knew what I told you." He said with a hint of fear in his voice.

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me." She said gently as she squeezed his hand. "Was ... was there anything that happened ... that caused you to feel the way you do? Did something bad happen?" She asked him softly.

He shook his head, still without looking up. "No, nothin', I've heard some bad stories though, that's how I found out about it." He said remorsefully.

She sighed and looked at him staring down at the table. He looked like someone who had just said he kicked puppies for fun. "Ranma?" She prodded him gently. He nodded, but didn't look up. "Ranma..." she prodded him again. He finally looked up, with shame in his eyes. "Listen to me ... nothing you said is shameful. It is actually _admirable_ that you feel bad when others are hurt. You can be strong _and_ feel empathy for others. That shows a much greater strength than someone who is just strong. Strength without purpose can easily turn into bullying ... or worse." She said softly, with pride in her voice.

 _He is so ... very ... special_. She thought fiercely as she held on to his hand and tried to reassure him that his father's insanity was wrong. After a few more moments he took a slow, shuddering, breath and let it out as he nodded at her and turned his hand over to squeeze hers back.

She locked her eyes on his and smiled gently at him. "Thank you, for sharing that with me." She said happily.

Before he could say anything in response, three light knocks sounded at the door. She smiled and called out softly for Kamenosuke to enter. _Has it been ten minutes already?_ She thought as the older gentleman quickly and professionally laid out their dishes for their first course. He then lit several candles around the room, and turned off the main light in their room before he backed quickly to the exit.

"I will bring the next course in about fifteen minutes, Miss Tendo." He said softly as he closed the door. She nodded happily at him.

As soon as the door was closed, she winked at Ranma, who was eying the food hungrily, but with a nervous frown on his face. "You can eat however you like, Ranma. We're in a private room. You don't have to try to eat formally, if you don't want to." She said gently.

He looked up at her, and shook his head as he smiled nervously. "Nah, this is a nice place. I'm not gonna eat like I'm at home. I may not be very good at eatin' fancy, but I can try." He said with some confidence.

She smiled at him as she sampled some of her own food. It was delicious. The tangy sweet sauce of the dish she'd sampled danced on her tongue and awakened her own hunger. She tucked into her own meal with enthusiasm as she realized just how hungry she really was. _Apparently getting thrown off buildings and hiking across town in a formal dress takes it out of me_. She thought sardonically to herself as she worked eagerly on her own meal. Ranma took his cue from her and attacked his own food with equal zeal, not that he really ever needed much of an excuse to eat heartily. He still tried his best to use his napkin, and to not just dump the contents of the plates and bowls into his mouth.

When she came up for air a little while later, Ranma was sitting and looking at her with wide eyes, and an even wider smile. "Wow, Nabiki. I thought I was the big eater here." He said in an impressed voice.

She smirked at him. "Just because I don't normally inhale my food like you do, doesn't mean I don't get hungry."

"You need more practice if you want to get up to the level Pop and I are on. You didn't even spill anythin' or nothin'." He said happily.

She winked at him. "Hey, I'm a lady. We _never_ spill." She said happily as a soft knock sounded at the door. She called out happily for Kamenosuke to enter and beamed at him as he quickly cleared their first course from the table.

"Was the first course to your liking, Miss Tendo?" He asked sincerely.

She nodded her head vigorously. "Oh, it was wonderful! Please tell Toro that he's spoiling me, and I love it!" She said with a smile.

Kamenosuke nodded gravely, but with a small smile on his gentleman's face as he laid out their second course. "I will bring dessert in about a half hour, is that all right with you, Miss Tendo?" He asked her fondly.

She beamed at him. "That would be just lovely, Kamenosuke. Thank you! She said as she eyed the food hungrily. She felt she should wait to dig into it until he had left. She didn't want him to see just how hungry she was.

The older gentleman bowed graciously to them, winked at her, and backed out of the room with a knowing smile on his face. She could tell he knew she was just waiting until he was gone before she attacked her food.

Ranma looked over at her sharply as soon as the door shut, and grinned as he raised his chopsticks in challenge. "Wanna race?" He asked happily.

In response she grinned at him, raised her own chopsticks, and dove for her food. Ranma followed suit, and they ate in a satisfied silence for the next few minutes. When they were both done, they sat in a happy and easy silence and watched each other shyly across the table.

 _It's odd, but we seem to have bonded more over eating together here, than we did talking_. She thought as she eyed him happily. He seemed much more at ease now that he had seen her loosen up a bit, and she had shared in an activity she knew he enjoyed.

She hadn't intended to flaunt how sophisticated she could be by bringing him to the Kojyu; she had just wanted somewhere nice to eat that was closer than where she had originally planned to go. But she could tell that he really appreciated that she had dropped the formality stuff while they were in private.

She smiled at him as she finished with her napkin, and set it aside as she scooted back from the table and lounged happily in her chair. He mirrored both her posture, and her smile. The sound of soft music started up in the main room a moment later. A small speaker set in the ceiling of their room started playing the music more clearly right after that. She looked up at the sound of the music and smiled wistfully. She knew there would be couples dancing in the main room soon.

Ranma immediately picked up on her attention shift. "What's the matter?" He asked her softly.

She looked over at him again and smiled softly. "Nothing's the matter, Ranma. Everything is wonderful." She assured him as she did her best to keep the longing out of her voice that the soft music was triggering.

He picked it up anyway. "Is there somethin' you need? Something I can do?" He asked as he reached across the table for her hand.

She smiled as she leaned forward and let her hand fall into his. He squeezed it gently as she looked at their hands together on the table next to the flickering light of the candles and appreciated how lucky she was to be able to be where she was and with who she was. That was enough for now.

"It's all right, Ranma. I was just noticing the music being played for couples to dance to. But I know things like dancing aren't your style." She looked into his eyes and smiled. "Maybe ... some other time ... we could ..." She trailed off. She didn't want to talk about the future when she had no guarantees past the end of their week together.

"Hey, who says we can't, right now?" He said in a somewhat shaky voice; she could tell he had decided to be brave.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "It's all right, Ranma. You don't have to do anything and everything I want to do, just to make me happy." She said kindly. "Besides, do you even know how to dance? There's no Martial Arts in it." She teased.

He stood up and continued to hold on to her hand, which was now being raised off the table. "You're right, I don't know how to dance. And yeah, I would be embarrassed ta do this in front of a lot of people. But ... this is a private room ... if you're willin' ta teach me, I'm sure I can learn." He said with confidence.

She tried not to be stunned, but she was. She sucked in air between her clenched teeth as emotions hit her harder than she was ready for and she tried not to cry as shivers ran up and down her spine. She wasn't sad, she was happy, incredibly happy.

She nodded her head fiercely and stood up quickly and almost leaped into his arms. Instead she settled for running into him and throwing herself into his arms. He caught her gently and rocked back with her. She knew she had thrown herself at him hard enough that she should have felt a bit of an impact when she hit him, but he had instinctively cushioned it for her.

He wrapped her up into a hug and picked her up off her feet just a little bit, and swung her around a little before he set her down. The urge to cry left her as she leaned into him and wrapped her arms around his waist. The strength in her legs also briefly left her as he held her. She felt wobbly in the knees for a moment. But it was fine, he just held her and swayed to the music with her while he waited for her. He was pressing the soft fabric of her dress into her, and holding her like he needed her. It made her feel emotions she didn't even have words for. She felt herself getting warm all over as something inside her opened up a bit and connected to some part of her that touched everything.

_I'll just know._

"All right, Ranma..." she finally said in a shaky voice. "To dance, all you have to do is pretty much what you are doing already. Just listen to the music and move with either the beat or the rhythm. It can get much more complicated than that, but for couples dancing, that's all you really need to know." She mumbled into his chest with her eyes closed.

"Okay ... can you show me?"

She nodded into his chest and stepped back away from him just a little bit. Just enough so she could move her feet so he could see. She wanted to keep her head on his chest and her arms around him. She could feel him craning his neck to the side so he could see her feet as she moved them in a basic box-step waltz pattern as she led their dance.

"Do you see?" She breathed quietly.

"Couple more steps." He replied. She danced with him for a few more seconds, then she felt him nod. "Got it."

She stopped moving and leaned her head back and looked up at him with half-lidded eyes and whispered to him. "Then dance with me." She could feel the heat radiating off her skin now, tiny waves of it were coming from her center and spreading as electricity ran up and down her spine.

He nodded rapidly and then started to move with her as he took the lead. True to his word, he was replicating the steps she had shown him pretty much motion for motion. She knew he didn't understand the finer points of it, because she hadn't taught it to him, but he had picked up the motion and the movements after just being shown it once.

Her heart was hammering in her chest. This was perfect. _Perfect perfect perfect perfect perfect_. She thought euphorically to herself. She was warm in Ranma's arms and he was dancing with her in a nice place in a candle lit room. _And he was funny, and charming, and gentle, and he played with me, and he learns so fast! And he got me that wonderful and thoughtful gift! And he protected me, and he was so brave when he came for me on the top of that building!_ She thought to herself on a rising tide of emotion.

Her breathing was coming more slowly as she fell into the music and moved with Ranma as her heart hammered away in her chest. He smelled like his usual flowery cedar along with a wisp of the cologne sample she had put on him. He was warm and kind and he was holding her tight and swaying to the music with her. She couldn't remember the last time she had been happier than she was right now.

 _I'll just know_.

She let the music caress her as she danced with him long into the night while she let the special place inside her open up a bit wider. She felt herself blaze with the heat of it pouring off her skin. Their private room was glowing with a nice golden light; it was soft, and warm, and made her feel peaceful. She forgot about pain. She forgot about grief. She forgot about worry and fear. All that mattered was the music, and her dance with the most wonderful person she had ever known.

Ranma was alternating between looking around the room in wonder, and looking into her eyes softly. She felt like something deep inside of him was resonating with her — but it was probably her imagination. She ached to kiss him, but dancing with him was almost as good.

_All right, well ... it's official, Mom. I'm in love with him._


	45. Go Be A Hero

Nabiki stepped on to the street her family's home was on, and looked over at Ranma longingly. She didn't want their date to be over, but it was about to be. She was finding herself sneaking glances at him now just as often as he did with her.

Ranma was holding her hand and walking next to her casually using his modified battle aura technique to keep her warm as they walked back home from the train station in the unseasonably cold evening weather.

When they were within a few blocks of her home, he paused and tugged on her hand to stop her. She looked over at him quizzically. He looked into her eyes earnestly, and she felt herself blush.

 _Oh, I hope he's not going to try to kiss me to end the date. I don't think I have the strength to even pretend like I care about the promise_ _anymore_. She worried as he pulled her into a hug. She let herself melt against him. At the moment, she had very little willpower when it came to him. _Right now, I think I would say yes to damn near anything he might ask of me_. She thought warmly.

"Don't look around or act afraid, but someone's waitin' for us up on the rooftops near your house." He whispered into her ear.

She sighed. Of course. He had just wanted to warn her without tipping off whoever was waiting for them. She pulled her head back so she was nose to nose with him and smiled as she lidded her eyes. She could smell him strongly when he held her. The urge to just lean forward and kiss him was intoxicatingly strong.

"I'm not worried. Nobody can hurt me when you're with me." She whispered back softly; it was a statement, not a question. She stared into his eyes searchingly as she waited for a reply.

 _God_ _,_ _I want to do so many things with him!_ She thought as her body ached and tried desperately to push her to act on her desires.

He nodded at her nervously. "I won't let them hurt you, don't worry. Do you want me to just carry ya in, or do you wanna try walkin' past them and see if they'll let us go without fightin'?"

She thought about it for a moment as she sucked on her lower lip, then smiled. "Let's try to walk past them. I don't want to give them the satisfaction of running unless we have to." She said after a moment.

He nodded and stepped back as he released her, and resumed simply holding her hand. She sighed and started walking with him again. It seemed so easy for him to go in and out of being close with her. For her, she had to fight herself strongly not to jump on him whenever he was that close to her. She was starting to really worry about being able to control herself tonight if they slept in the same room together.

 _If I can figure out how to keep Akane out, anyway_. She groused to herself.

"We're gettin' close." Ranma whispered. She nodded in reply.

"I trust you." She whispered absently.

He nodded and they walked for a bit longer in an easy silence. He paused her a moment later and leaned in close to her as he slid his hand from her hand to the small of her back. To a casual observer it might look like he was leaning in for a kiss. Her body certainly seemed to think so as her back arched towards him automatically. The dragon inside her was straining against her willpower and pushing as hard as it could to get her to do exactly what people might expect them to be doing.

"If they attack, I'm just gonna grab you and run for it. Doctor Tofu should be watchin' the house, so once we're past the wall you'll be safe." He said quietly. She nodded her head against his and squeezed her eyes tightly closed for a moment as she took a deep breath and steadied herself. Now was _not_ the time to be obsessing over her desires to be physical with him.

Ranma straightened up, looked into her eyes confidently, winked, then grabbed her hand and resumed their walk. A moment later he tensed as a voice called down to them from the darkness.

"Ni hao, Ranma." It was Shampoo's voice. Even thought it was coming from the rooftop, it still sounded oddly ... weak.

A dark figured hopped down to the street level in the shadows. Ranma flinched towards herself, but didn't pick her up and run away just yet. Shampoo stepped into the light of the streetlights, and they both relaxed a little. Shampoo didn't seem like she was ready to attack. She seemed ... worried.

Shampoo looked over at Ranma and smiled weakly at him while tears slipped down her cheeks. The young warrior girl was obviously trying hard to prevent herself from crying, but wasn't succeeding. Shampoo's lower lip was trembling, and it was obvious she had been crying for some time now.

Ranma tensed up and moved a little bit closer to herself as he replied. "Hey Shampoo." He said in a neutral voice.

"Is ... is she OK?" Shampoo asked in a hesitant voice.

With Shampoo's issues with pronouns, it took her a moment to realize that Shampoo was referring to herself. She looked up again at Shampoo and found the young Amazon staring at her with ... concern?

"I'm ... fine." She said hesitantly.

Shampoo walked towards them slowly and approached carefully with her hands out to show she wasn't attacking. "Is you sure? Shona very dangerous." Shampoo said in a wavering voice.

So Shampoo was involved with her sister's actions earlier. She wasn't all that surprised by that. "I'm sure. Ranma took care of it." She said softly as she remembered the warmth of his arms around her, and his quiet confidence when he had saved her from what she had thought was certain death.

"You no is hurt _at all_?" Shampoo asked in a concerned voice as she stepped even closer to them and looked at her intently. Shampoo was now in striking range.

"That's far enough, Shampoo." Ranma said as he flashed a hand up and braced it against Shampoo's shoulder. Shampoo immediately flinched backwards away from his touch but didn't say anything.

She looked carefully at the young Chinese warrior and frowned. Shampoo was standing in an awkward stance, like she had just run a very long distance and needed to catch her breath. Shampoo was favoring her left side heavily, and was standing awkwardly with her palms facing them, instead of the backs of her hands. Something was wrong. Ranma picked up on it as well.

"What's goin' on, Shampoo?" He asked gently.

"Nothing going. I only is worry about you, is all." Shampoo said in a voice that was attempting to be nonchalant, but she could tell the young Amazon was faking it.

"We're fine ... no thanks to you and your sister." She said in a calm but frosty voice.

Shampoo didn't say anything to that for a moment, then slowly started to shake her head. "No ... no was me ... I tried ... I tried stop them. They no listen me." Shampoo said sadly as she fixed her gaze sternly on Ranma. "I told you, I _told you_ they serious! Why you no listen me?!" Shampoo asked in a shaking voice as she pointed at Ranma.

Ranma sucked air in through his teeth in surprise. She looked where he was looking, and her eyes widened. "Shampoo ... what happened to your hands?" Ranma asked gently.

"Is nothing." Shampoo said quickly as she tucked her hands back behind her back urgently.

"Doesn't look like nothin' ... it looks like you've been fightin'." Ranma said softly as he took a step towards Shampoo and reached for her hand. The young Amazon didn't resist him, but she did bite down on her lower lip and wince when he grabbed her hand gently and held it up.

Ranma stepped back and held Shampoo's hand gently in his own hands and swore under his breath. All of the knuckles on Shampoo's hand were cracked and bleeding, several had the top layer of skin all the way scraped off. "What ... what happened, Shampoo? Who did this to you?" He asked softly.

"When Shampoo find out ... when Shampoo find out Great Grandmother send older sister after weak girl ... Shampoo ... Shampoo ..." The young Chinese girl's voice broke as tears streamed down her cheeks faster than they had been, and Shampoo changed from having a trembling lower lip, to a mouth opened softly in a silent wail. Ranma looked back at her for permission, and she nodded grudgingly.

Ranma stepped forward and gently took Shampoo's hands in his own and pulled her closer to himself. It wasn't a hug, but it wasn't a handshake either. He leaned towards Shampoo, and whispered softly until the young Amazon stopped crying and slumped against him, Shampoo shuddered as she tried to fight back her tears.

"I sorry, I sorry! It _not right_ they attack weak girl no who can fight. I tried warn you! They ... they keep trying." Shampoo said in a shaking voice as she buried her face against Ranma's chest.

She watched Shampoo carefully, and could tell that even as gently as he was holding her, that Shampoo was in pain.

"Who'd you fight?" Ranma asked quietly.

"Sisters." Shampoo whispered.

"Why?" He asked.

"When Shampoo find out they plan, Shampoo try stop them. Great Grandmother stop Shampoo. When Great Grandmother not watching, Shampoo hurry try stop plan, was fight to leaving ... no get to Shona fast enough. Saw older sister fight you. Not want you think me attack too, so Shampoo hide. Shampoo would have save weak girl, but husb—you save her, so no have to." Shampoo said in a quavering voice as she tried to smile bravely for Ranma.

Shampoo took a small step towards him and held her rough and bloodied hand up to his face. He let Shampoo trace her hand down the side of his face with her shaking hand. It left a tiny trail of blood on the edge of his face. 

Ranma was swaying on his feet a little bit. Most people wouldn't be able to tell, but she could tell. She now knew that he absolutely _hated_ women being brutalized. Seeing Shampoo suffering on his behalf had to be _killing_ him. She also knew there was more to Shampoo's story that hadn't been voiced yet. But she wanted to ask a question before she told him.

"Shampoo?" She asked carefully. The young Chinese warrior looked over at her with eyes that were both dismissive, and fearful ... mostly dismissive. She suspected the Amazon thought of her more as a pet than a person. People who couldn't fight were probably little more than property in Shampoo's village.

She shrugged inwardly and pressed on. She could ignore Shampoo's personal bias. "Why was Ranma able to beat your sister so easily? I thought she was supposed to be one of the best from your village?" She asked carefully.

Shampoo smiled bitterly at her. "Husb—He use chestnut fist, yes?"

She nodded.

"Shona no know that one, no could defend it." Shampoo said somewhat sarcastically.

"Really?"

"Yes, really." Shampoo said mockingly. "Shampoo no know that one either." The young Amazon added with a definite tone of bitterness in her voice.

Ranma raised his eyebrows at that. "What? Come on, you were there, Shampoo, you saw the old ghoul training me to do it." He said with disbelief.

Shampoo looked back at him and nodded sadly. "Shampoo see. Shampoo understand how it supposed to work. Shampoo not master it yet. It very secret, very special technique. Not every can master." Shampoo whispered.

"Special? I thought it was just a normal technique for your village?" Ranma asked, with confusion in his voice.

Shampoo shook her head emphatically. "No. Great Grandmother give great honor train you special technique. Shona no know. Shampoo no know. Only Great Grandmother, and other elders know some them. Great Grandmother only one whole tribe knows all them. Great Grandmother first elder is."

Ranma blinked at Shampoo, then looked over at herself with wonder, and what seemed like fear, in his eyes.

She decided that Shampoo's sacrifice deserved to be known, despite her bitterness. So she prompted the Amazon to tell him the rest. "What happened when you returned?" She asked softly.

"Shampoo being ... punish ..." The young Amazon said with a fierce pride in her voice and her head held up high.

"What did they—?" Ranma started to ask.

"Her chest, Ranma. Didn't you notice that she winced when you stopped her?" She said softly.

Ranma looked back over at Shampoo, and the young Amazon nodded proudly. "Punish for fight own sister and disobey elder, is hundred kick from sisters Shampoo fighted." Shampoo said proudly.

"How bad?" Ranma asked miserably.

In answer, Shampoo pulled up on the hem of her shirt and lifted it up to show her chest. Ranma sucked his breath in and swore darkly. Shampoo stood in front of him unashamed in just her bra, with her shirt held loosely at her side. Her entire torso was covered with bruises.

Ranma looked away out of respect and, she also knew, anguish. She now had a much better understanding of how he worked inside, from their talks on their date. He couldn't handle people being brutalized, especially women. His stance on the issue wasn't entirely logical, considering that she knew that he could and would fight women to protect herself. But she also knew, and he had demonstrated with Shona, that he would only do as much as he absolutely had to, and nothing more. Seeing a woman hurt like Shampoo had been, was probably enough to trigger what he had talked about at dinner. She was impressed that he was keeping it together as well as he was.

"Why, Shampoo?" She asked sadly as the young Amazon put her shirt back on.

Shampoo fixed her with eyes filled with both determination and sadness. "你知道为什么。"[1] The young Amazon said simply to her as if it was obvious.

She locked eyes with the Amazon, and nodded. Then she drew herself up to her full height and bowed formally to Shampoo. "Thank you." She replied just as simply as she straightened back up.

Ranma looked back at herself again and inclined his head towards their home a millimeter. His message was obvious. She hesitated for a moment, then nodded her assent. Ranma smiled at her and reached back for her hand. She loved how kind he was. She also loved how warm his hands were.

"Did you want to come inside? We can make you some tea, and Kasumi and Doctor Tofu can maybe help you heal..." Ranma started to ask, but trailed off as Shampoo shook her head sadly.

"You no understand... I try tell you earlier. Shampoo only break law because is _you_. Shampoo proud Amazon. Happy be punish for honor of tribe. Break law help _you_ , but Shampoo no need you help." The young Amazon said with simple pride as she refused to acquiesce.

"What can I do?" Ranma asked sincerely.

"There only one thing can do ... is only thing won't do." Shampoo said sadly as she turned to leave. The young warrior turned and looked over her shoulder at him and smiled sadly at him. "Please being careful. They no stop until they win. Shampoo do what can, but I no can stop them." Shampoo said in a voice that was a mixture of pride, and worry. Then the young Amazon bounded up to the wall, then the nearest roof, and was gone.

After a moment she squeezed his hand gently until he looked at her. "You all right?" She asked him softly.

"Y-yeah. I don't like seein' stuff like that, but she's strong, and she seems okay." He said weakly.

She nodded and smiled softly at him. "You can't save everyone, Ranma ... especially from themselves." She said as she nudged him to start walking again.

He nodded and walked with her in silence until they reached the gate to her family's lands. He paused and looked at her shyly. She smiled nervously. They both knew the date was over. Traditionally, after a successful date he would have at least earned a kiss on the cheek, but she had made him make that stupid promise.

 _Because I am an idiot._ She thought bitterly as she stared into his eyes and willed him to ignore the promise. She knew how important honor was to him, so she didn't want to break the promise and have him think less of her. But ... if he broke it, then she wouldn't say anything either.

He smiled at her and shifted his hand in hers gently. "Well, I guess we should go inside..." He said hesitantly.

She nodded and waited to see what he was doing with his hand. A moment later she sighed as he finished repositioning his hand so it was in the Western handshake position. He squeezed her hand softly as he looked into her eyes and smiled.

"I had a great time, Nabiki." He said in a happy tone of voice.

"I did too, Ranma." She said as she released her hand from his, and pushed his arm out of her way as she dove into his arms and hugged him fiercely. She squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her cheek on his silky shirt and wished for the moment they were sharing to freeze in time. "Thank you for everything." She whispered to him.

In reply, he tightened his arms around her and picked her up softly. Warmth flooded her body, and she let herself melt into him. She knew what he wanted to say when he picked her up. Someday soon, she hoped he would be able to actually say it.

She had no idea how long he stood and held her outside the walls to the Tendo household, but eventually he slowly relaxed his arms and let her slide back down to her own feet.

She looked up at him and saw in his eyes everything that he couldn't seem to bring himself to say to her or Akane. She knew what he wanted to say though, and that was enough for her right now.

Without another word, she turned and faced the gates as she held her hand out for him. He took it, also wordlessly, and they stepped through the gate, and officially ended their date. It didn't feel as bad as she had feared it would. She was sad it was over. But he was still with her, and he was holding her hand. She no longer had him all to herself, but she hadn't lost him either.

They quietly entered the front door and slipped their shoes off while they continued to hold hands. They were just heading towards the stairs when Akane walked out of the hallway.

She saw Akane's eyes flash down to their hands, and then over to Ranma's face. She felt Ranma's hand twitch, and knew that he was warring with his instinct to let go of her in front of Akane.

Akane looked over at her softly for a second with eyes filled with both pain and what seemed like betrayal. She met Akane's gaze with her own unflinching gaze. She had told Akane she wasn't going to back down, and she had meant it.

Akane pulled in a deep breath and nodded to both of them as she stepped back to let them pass while she cast her gaze to the ground. She couldn't tell if Akane was refusing to look at them out of embarrassment, anger, or ... something else. Ranma eagerly nodded and hurried to take advantage of the easy way out of the situation Akane had provided. He tugged on her to follow him. She allowed him to lead her from the room, but looked back at Akane as she headed down the hallway towards the stairs with him. Akane was standing where they had left her, with her head tilted to the side. Her little sister was now gazing after them with a thoughtful expression on her face.

A moment later Ranma pulled her around a corner and she lost sight of her little sister. She walked with Ranma quietly up the stairs. He led her straight to her bedroom door then let go of her hand and turned around to look at her. He was smiling softly.

"I guess your Dad and mine want me to stay with ya again tonight ta watch ya..." He said with embarrassment in his voice.

She smiled softly at him. "I'm sure." Then she winked at him. "I also want you to." She said in a teasing tone.

"O...o-okay." He stammered as he looked down at the floor.

She rolled her eyes and reached out and grasped his chin softly and tilted his head up so he was looking at her again. "You don't have to, if you don't want to, Ranma. I can get Daddy or Doctor Tofu to instead..." She trailed off. She knew he wanted to, and she was getting a bit tired of his shy routine.

He shook his head softly. "No, I want to ... if you want to..." He said softly.

She smiled as happily and sincerely for him as she knew how to. She knew it was going to be a journey to de-program his somewhat awkward social problems, especially with women. But, as the ancient Chinese proverb said, even the longest journey started with a single step. She nodded and winked at him again. "Yes, Ranma. I do want to. See you in a few minutes?" She asked.

He nodded and quickly bounded down the hallway to his own room to do whatever it was he wanted to do before bed. She smiled after him. She could have sworn he had a bit of a skip in his step.

As soon as he slipped into his room she followed his example and entered her own room and closed the door behind herself. She stood and looked in her mirror for a moment as she let out a tremendous sigh. It was a sigh that was equal parts relief and frustration. She was relieved that she was finding solid ground to build a relationship with him on. She was also relieved that he obviously was interested in her. She was frustrated with many things, not the least of which was the situation with the Amazons, Akane still being a competing factor, and everything else that had gone wrong.

She locked eyes with herself in the mirror, pulled in a deep and steadying breath, and shrugged. She was wise enough to know that stressing about things she had no control over, was counterproductive. She chose to focus on the things she could at least influence, if not directly control. She couldn't control the Amazons at all. But she _could_ help influence Ranma's choice. And ... she _could_ help Ranma find a way to let Akane down easily ... somehow.

She stared at herself for a few more moments, then let out a smaller, softer sigh. _Sure, an_ easy _way to let Akane down. No problem. While I'm at it, I can figure out a way to grow money on trees._ She thought sarcastically.

She shrugged and ran her eyes over her body as she reached behind herself to find the clasp for the dress so she could unzip it. Overall, she looked good. If she hadn't known where to look, the small signs from the fight with Shona were barely noticeable. Ranma had done an incredible job protecting her. Her makeup wasn't in the same state it had been in when she had left. Kasumi's better efforts had been replaced with her own meager makeup artistry. She smiled at herself as she unhooked the clasp and grasped the zipper. Having an expertise in applying makeup wasn't a problem she encountered often enough to really care about.

A soft knock sounded at her door. She looked over at it with some trepidation. She seriously considered calling out for Ranma to come in, and then asking him to help her out of the dress. She smiled wickedly at herself as she discarded the idea. The poor boy just wasn't ready for something like that yet.

"I'm changing, Ranma, can you give me another couple of minutes?" She called out softly instead, as she turned to face the door.

"It's just me." Came Kasumi's voice from the other side of the door.

"Oh, well come in then." She said warmly as she slid the zipper further down her back.

Her door opened only wide enough to allow her older sister to slip in. Kasumi entered the room quickly with her usual quiet grace, and then leaned against the door softly to close it, as she clasped her hands loosely in front of herself and looked at her expectantly.

"So, how was it?" Kasumi asked while running her eyes over herself.

She looked away from Kasumi's searching eyes with unaccustomed shyness. It was hard for her to put into words how she felt about what happened with Ranma on their date and how happy but worried she was. She swallowed nervously and tried anyway. "It was w—"

"Nabiki! What happened?" Kasumi asked in a shocked voice, interrupting her.

She pulled her eyes back up to her older sister who was rushing across the room towards her. She flinched as Kasumi grasped her head softly in her gentle hands and tilted her face back and forth and clucked with disapproval. "You've been crying! What happened to your makeup?" Kasumi asked as she stepped back from her and looked at her closely. She could tell that her elder sister's keen eyes were finding the blemishes in the silk of her special dress.

She sucked air in nervously through her teeth. She hadn't really wanted to get into all of it tonight.

Kasumi stepped forward earnestly and wrapped her up in a protective hug. Her older sister just held her for a moment before finally speaking. "Something happened, didn't it? He didn't ... did he?" Kasumi asked fearfully.

She flushed with anger and found herself shoving Kasumi violently off herself before her mind caught up with what she was doing. She was so shocked and angry at the suggestion that Ranma would hurt her, that she had actually balled her hands into fists and taken a step towards Kasumi, before she was able to regain control. She was breathing heavily, and her heart was hammering away pumping adrenaline into her system as her body prepared for a fight; she couldn't control that.

Kasumi stood where she had pushed her to, with her entire attention on herself. She could tell Kasumi was shocked too.

"NO!" She yelled in a voice bristling with outrage. "You listen to me, Ranma would never, EVER hurt me! EVER!" She hissed in a softer voice that was still very close to yelling. She was flooded with anger, rage even. She was sucking air rapidly past clenched teeth as she battled a burning, aggressive itch in her chest that cried out for her to act. The dragon inside her was straining to break free and lash out. It was taking every gram of her self control not to slap Kasumi for even suggesting that Ranma would hurt her.

She felt hot, angry tears start to slip down her cheeks, and she felt that she had to ball her hands into fists again, just to keep herself in check. Kasumi just stood there and waited.

After many long seconds in tense silence, she was able to control herself enough to trust herself to keep from screaming. She locked her eyes with Kasumi and frowned. "Ranma is the kindest, sweetest, most honest and loyal person I have EVER known. He protects me! He would NEVER hurt me! I am one hundred percent positive that he would die for me! He has saved everyone in this family at least once! How DARE YOU suggest such a thing!" She said in a low, dangerous voice. Kasumi flinched with every sentence she said, but didn't retreat.

As soon as she was done speaking, Kasumi hesitantly spoke up. "But ... your dress ... your makeup ..."

She nodded. "I'll tell you about it in a minute. But I want you to be clear about Ranma first. He is the best person to ever step through the doors of this house in a _long_ time. I trust him _completely_. I want you to get rid of any thoughts about him like that. All right? I trust Ranma more than I trust Doctor Tofu!" She said vehemently.

Kasumi nodded, almost fearfully. Then her older sister took a few hesitant steps towards her and reached for her hands as she looked into her eyes. "So ... what did happen?"

She smiled grudgingly at Kasumi as the rage left her and her nerves settled down from preparing to fight. "It was wonderful." She said as she began to tell Kasumi about the unbelievable heroism that Ranma had shown for her on their date, and the incredible things he had done for her.

  


***

  


When she was done telling Kasumi about her date with Ranma, her older sister hadn't had much more to say. She could tell Kasumi was still in shock with how angry the suggestion that Ranma had forced himself on her had made her. Kasumi had hugged her again softly when she was done telling her the story, and left her room quickly with a soft smile on her face. Only a minute after Kasumi had gently closed the door, she had quickly changed, and re-opened the door. She had left her special earrings in.

She found Ranma on the other side of the door dressed in his own sleeping clothes, with his hand raised to knock on her door.

She slipped into his arms immediately and tried to melt into him. The remaining anxious, irritated and angry feeling in the center of her chest immediately evaporated. He just stood there somewhat in shock and held her loosely. She didn't know why she was so emotionally on edge, but she was. Eventually she felt buoyed enough to push herself back from him a bit. She brought her face right next to his and positioned her lips so they were right next to the corner of his mouth. "It's good to see you, Ranma." She whispered to him softly.

"But ... I just ..." He stammered.

"I know, but it felt like longer." She whispered happily to him. She felt him nod. She knew he was confused. That was all right, she was confused too. She shifted her lips to his neck and pressed them there lightly. "I'm going to go get ready for bed. I'll be back in just a minute okay? Don't go anywhere." She whispered to him. She wasn't technically kissing him. She knew that anyone who saw what she was doing would think she was, but technically all she was doing was talking to him while resting her lips on his neck. She didn't know why, but that small detail made her feel impish and very happy. She loved finding loopholes. She smiled into his neck and held him tighter.

He shifted his arms so that he was holding her a little more tightly, but otherwise he didn't react. She was really going to have to work on his fear of intimacy with women in the near future. If they committed to each other, she fully intended to have a physical relationship with him, and she didn't want to coax him every time into doing things with her, like luring a scared bunny out of its warren.

 _Patience, girl. First get him to commit, then train him_. She thought to herself wryly.

After another few happy moments, she sighed and pushed herself off of him. She could tell, both by his facial expression and his body language, that he was relieved that she wasn't being so intimate with him any more. She knew it made him nervous to touch her while standing in the public parts of the house. She knew he would have to be worried about being seen by Daddy or Akane, or even Kasumi.

She smiled at him and stepped around him with a wink as she hurried to the bathroom. She closed the door softly behind herself as she gazed at him until the door blocked her sight of him. He simply stood there and smiled at her nervously.

As soon as the door was closed, she leaned her forehead against it and sucked in several deep and steadying breaths. She was teetering on the edge of something, she could feel it. She knew damn well that if she slept with him tonight, she was going to try to get physical with him. She was completely ready to be with him ... but she knew he wasn't ready.

 _If I push him too fast, I'll push him away_. She thought fearfully as she turned and looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. She looked good. She turned back and forth in the mirror and nodded approvingly at what she saw. Her hair looked good, her body looked good, and her face looked ... _well, it will look better once I wash off the ruined makeup_. She thought to herself wryly.

As she set herself to doing just that, she tried to figure out what the limits should be. _I made him promise that we wouldn't kiss until the end of the week ... I never said anything about doing anything else_. She thought nervously to herself as she fully examined the loophole she had found in her stupid promise. She looked at herself seriously in the mirror and frowned.

_He's not ready. Hell, I'm not sure I'm ready._

_Yes I am._

_He liked kissing me, I bet he would like ... other stuff..._

_You'll scare him off if you push him._

_Will I?_

_Maybe..._

_What if we just do ... a little bit ... we don't have to do ... everything. Would he be all right with that?_

Her inner self had no answers for her. She glared at herself in the mirror, then smiled, then frowned, then let her face relax. She wasn't sure what the answer was. What she was sure about was that she loved him, and she wanted to show him she loved him.

 _Even if he doesn't end up picking me_... She thought sadly.

She sighed and nodded to herself in the mirror. She was going to try it. She would start with very small stuff, and see how he responded. She wouldn't kiss him, unless he kissed her, but if he responded well to her, she fully intended to do as much with him as he was ready to do tonight.

 _It might be my only chance with him_. She thought fatalistically to herself as she finished up in the bathroom and opened the bathroom door again.

 _I know he cares for me, he might even love me_. She thought as she walked slowly to her bedroom door.

 _But he might care for Akane more. Can I live with myself if I don't do everything I can to show him how I feel before our week is up?_ She asked herself. She stopped in the hallway and frowned at her bedroom door.

 _You're rationalizing, and you know it. You want to be with him, because you want to. You don't want to do it to try to compete with Akane_. Her conscience told her.

 _So what if I do? Is that so wrong? He's amazing, and he saved my life today! I don't owe it to him. I WANT to_. She thought defiantly as she bit her lower lip and took a hesitant step closer to her door. Her conscience shrugged at her.

She reached for the doorknob to her room with a shaking hand as she made her decision.

She opened the door and entered it quickly. She locked the door behind herself as she closed it. She didn't know where Akane was, or what her sleeping situation was ... and she didn't care. She was sure Doctor Tofu and Daddy and even Mister Saotome would make sure Akane was safe during the night.

 _Ranma is ... mine_. She thought possessively as she smiled nervously at him and chewed on her lower lip. Her body was totally and completely ready to be with him. She knew on a chemical and biological level she was sending signals to him that he had to be picking up on, even if he didn't understand them. She could tell he was picking up on at least some of it, because he looked at her with a nervous expression on his face from where he was standing by her window. It was an expression she hadn't seen on him before. He was looking at her with a mixture of anticipation, nervousness, and ... was that fear?

She took a tentative step towards him, then paused. "Are you ready for bed, Ranma?" She asked softly as she clasped her hands together in front of her like Kasumi had done earlier. Her palms were warm.

He didn't move from the window. He was in his soldier's stance. She waited patiently until he responded. She had learned a while ago that Ranma sometimes had to gather his thoughts before he spoke.

"They're attackin'." He eventually said without looking away from the window.

"The Amazons?" She asked.

"Yeah. Pop, your dad, and the Doc are fightin' them."

She nodded but stayed where she was, blocking the door. She gathered her courage for a moment before she spoke again. "Just ... just for tonight, can you stay with me? You don't need to go fight, Ranma. The three of them should be strong enough to keep the Amazons away from the house. Can you stay with me, and trust the rest of them to do their duty? You can be a hero another night. Can you stay with me and just sleep tonight?" She whispered to him nervously. She knew it was an incredibly selfish thing to ask him ... but she didn't care. He'd done enough for the day. He'd fought for her, and he'd saved her life. She didn't want to let him go right now. She wanted him with her, in her room. She wanted to be together with him. She didn't care if that meant the other three men would have a tougher time of it tonight. Ranma _deserved_ a break.

 _And so do I_. She thought defiantly.

He turned from the window and nodded. "Sure." He said in his usual easygoing voice. She could tell he was acting for her benefit, but she would take what she could get. She smiled at him and turned back and flipped off the lights. She let her eyes adjust to the darkness before she spoke again. Ranma had moved silently to sit on the futon. He was in the process of pulling the blankets up over himself.

"Ranma ... " She began carefully. She hadn't moved yet.

 _Easy girl, easy, don't scare the bunny_. She thought nervously.

"Yeah?" He asked in a quizzical tone of voice. He was responding to the longing tone in her voice she wasn't able to hide very well.

She took a hesitant step towards him. "Is it okay ... if I sleep in your bed with you tonight?" She whispered. Her legs were shaking. Her body was flushing with warmth.

 _Oh God, I am NOT going to be able to control myself if he lets me into his bed_! She thought with a building longing as she sucked on her lower lip nervously.

"Oh ... um, sure, I guess ... why?" He asked as he scooted over in his futon and held open the blankets to let her in.

She was moving before her mind even registered what she was doing. She damn near fell into the bed with him. Her movements were rushed, almost panicky. As soon as she slipped into the bed with him, he pulled the blankets up over her and she wrapped herself around him and let out a contented sigh. She could already feel the heat inside herself building, but just being next to him was relieving some of the incredible longing that had been building up inside her.

"Because you make me warm." She whispered into his ear as she repositioned herself so her body was pressed up against him in strategic ways. She had deliberately chosen flimsy silks to wear to bed.

She felt him freeze in place under her. She frowned at that and pulled herself back from him a bit. _Don't scare the bunny_. She admonished herself.

Neither of them moved or spoke for several seconds while she regrouped and tried to figure out what to do next while he just sort of laid there.

 _Let's try the direct approach_. She thought to herself as she moved her lips close to his ear. He shifted a little bit, but didn't move away from her.

"Ranma, is it all right ... if I hold you?" She asked him softly. She would settle for just sleeping in the same bed with him, but she really wanted to at least cuddle.

"Yeah ... sure." He whispered in reply after a pause. She didn't wait around for him to second guess himself and quickly moved herself back to wrapped around him like she had been earlier. He lay perfectly still and allowed her to do it, but didn't make any moves of his own. She luxuriated in the physical contact for a while before she gently tried to get him to reciprocate.

"You can hold me too, if you want." She whispered in his ear. He didn't move. She waited for a while, then sighed and resigned herself to just sleeping with him.

"Do you want me to?" He finally whispered back in the darkness.

She smiled happily and nodded strongly enough that he could feel it. He didn't move again for several more seconds, but after what felt like an eternity to her, he finally, gently, turned so he was facing her, and started threading his arms and legs around her to mirror what she was doing with him.

 _Oh God, it's_ _really_ _happening_! She thought to herself with a mind that was quickly fogging over with desire. He finished shifting around and ended up holding her loosely around her waist with both his arms while he entwined his legs with hers. She had her right arm draped across his waist and was pulling him close to her with her hand on his back. Her left arm she had wrapped around the back of his neck.

She could feel herself flushing with heat, and something inside her was straining strongly to break free. She didn't know if it was her inhibitions or something else, and she didn't care. All she cared about at the moment was being with him. She pulled him as close to her as she could, so her chest was pressed up against his, and rested her head on his neck. He held her gently but firm enough that she could tell he was participating too. But ... that was all he did.

It became clear to her, after several frustrating minutes, that he absolutely _was not_ going to take the lead. She sighed, but smiled at the same time. Part of what made him so wonderful was that even though she had given him a green light that could probably be seen from space, he still didn't seem willing to touch her without her explicit permission, every step of the way. That made it very difficult for her to let passion take over and be with him the way she wanted. But, it also reinforced her growing faith in him.

 _He would never, EVER, hurt me. I just have to be patient with him. Once he understands, he'll get more comfortable and I won't have to hold his hand_ _all_ _the_ _time_. She vowed to herself.

She smiled softly, even though she knew he couldn't see it, and gently pulled her left arm out from under him. She leaned into him even more so she was putting more of her weight on to him, as she reached back with her left hand and reached for his arm. She felt him tense up under her for a moment, so she just waited and held him. A moment later he relaxed again. She smiled softly. _C'mere bunny bunny bunny_. She thought to herself with a happy smirk on her lips as she gently reached down for his hand and guided it to her hip. As soon as he got the idea and held her where she wanted him to, she greedily arched her back to press herself into him more fully as she snaked her hand back under him again.

She stayed that way with him for many long moments, just savoring the delicious heat of him, his wonderful smells, the strength she could feel in his body, and how gently he held her. She could tell he was enjoying himself as well. For the first time ever, he moved without her prompting him. He brought his head in closer to hers, and buried his face in her hair next to her neck and breathed in deeply. She smiled at that. It was a small thing, but it was a start. She congratulated herself on her foresight to dab a tiny bit of perfume behind her ears before she came to bed. She could tell he was responding to her stronger smell. She had reapplied her special perfume she had worn on their date. She wanted to reinforce that smell with his memories of being together with her.

 _Let's see if I can get the bunny to poke his nose out of the hole._ She thought happily as she lifted her head up and brought her lips up to the base of his jaw, just below his ear. At the same time she gently reached back again with her hand and put it on his hand which was still resting on her hip. He tensed under her again, but relaxed faster than the last time. When she was in position, she pulled on his hand, so that by extension he pulled her hips into him. He got the idea quickly and put his own strength into it, and shivers ran down her spine as she arched her back involuntarily. She murmured a soft _mmm_ sound into his neck, to reward him.

He stopped immediately.

 _Damn it all to hell!_ She growled to herself as she exhaled softly in frustration.

"Did ... did I hurt you?" He whispered to her.

She sighed and shook her head softly as she smiled into his neck. _I really am going to have to teach him **absolutely everything**_. She thought wryly as she grinned into his neck. It was a good thing he couldn't see the expression on her face, because she was so frustrated she was on the verge of tears and she was also on the edge of laughing at the situation. She knew that seeing either emotion on her face would back his little scared bunny butt back into his hidey hole, fast. She sighed and strengthened her resolve. _I can do this, I just have to be patient with him_. She coached herself as she reassured him.

"No, you didn't hurt me. I don't think you are _capable_ of hurting me." She said carefully. _Here bunny bunny bunny, Nabiki has a carrot for you_. She thought happily. She wanted to be together with him, but the situation was quickly turning into a fun little game as well. As frustrated as she was, she had to admit that she was kind of having fun chasing him out of his emotional hiding.

"Oh ... okay." He whispered to her nervously. He had removed his hand from her hip.

She sighed and pushed herself off him a bit as she reached back and felt for his arm until she found it. As soon as she did, she slid her hand down his arm gently as she reached for his hand. She settled her weight back into him as she found his hand and entwined her fingers with his. She held his hand for a moment before she pulled his hand back to her hip and placed it back there firmly. She kept her hand on top of his until she felt him nod, then she smiled as he pulled her towards him again softly. She arched her back happily as she murmured into his neck again as she mirrored his actions and pulled him to herself as well. She'd managed to get the bunny out of his warren!

She was quickly growing more and more excited, all thoughts of any self control about the situation had completely fled her mind. She wrapped her legs around one of his legs strongly, and squeezed him tightly as she reached for his other hand to guide him further.

 _Now I just have to get him to—_

She wasn't able to complete the thought because someone with a death wish chose that moment to knock on her door. Ranma stopped immediately, and took his hands off her.

 _Damn it, damn it, damn it!_ She ranted to herself as she twisted in Ranma's bed and barked at the door. "WHAT?!" _I swear to God, if that's anyone but Kasumi, I'm gonna slap them_. She growled to herself.

"It's me ... there's trouble..." Kasumi's voice sounded from outside the door.

"Trouble?" Ranma called out. "What's goin' on?"

"Your ... Your dad's hurt. Doctor Tofu and Father are holding them off, but they need your help. Father asked me to bring you." Kasumi said in a regretful voice. She was sure her older sister knew very well what she was interrupting.

Ranma was already standing up. He even took a step towards the door before he stopped and looked back at her in the dim light of her room. She knew he would stay if she asked him, but she couldn't do that to him. She nodded to him and smiled a brave smile for him that she knew he couldn't see very well in the dim light.

"Go be a hero, Ranma. I know you love it." She whispered to him with fear in her heart. She knew that the main reason he was going, was to protect her and her sisters.

He nodded back at her, and was gone a moment later. Kasumi was framed in her doorway with the light of the hallway behind her.

"Sorry." Kasumi whispered to her.

She didn't reply. She wasn't mad at Kasumi, or really anyone. She was just ... incredibly frustrated. She wanted to cry, and to hit something. But she'd settle for sleeping in Ranma's bed, and hoping he would come back before the dawn.

 _At least his bed smells like him_. She thought as she settled down in the bed. She looked back over at her doorway in annoyance as she realized that Kasumi hadn't left yet, and her door was still open. She opened her mouth to call for Kasumi to close it, but her older sister beat her to the punch.

"Father ... doesn't want you sleeping alone. I've ... set up beds for us downstairs. Akane's already down there." Kasumi said softly as she turned to leave.

She seriously considered refusing to join them, but sighed after a moment and stood up.

 _I can do my duty while Ranma is doing his_. She groused as she slipped off her silks and changed into warmer flannel pajamas. She did grab Ranma's pillow on her way out of her room though. It was a small comfort, but she felt that she was entitled to it at the moment.

She made her way down the stairs almost in a daze. She found Akane already asleep in the main room, and a makeshift group bed set where the family table normally was. Kasumi was standing by the sliding doors and peeking out from a crack in the doors.

"Are they fighting?" She asked as she set her pillow down on the edge of the bed opposite from Akane. It was weird to her that the fighting was silent.

Kasumi nodded as she turned around and walked over to the bed as well. Her older sister climbed into the middle of the bed and lay still. "It will be all right." Kasumi said. She didn't know if her older sister meant that they would be safe, or Ranma would be.

She nodded. She didn't trust her voice at the moment. She was still very frustrated, and now she had to add worry to the list. After many long minutes, she turned over in the bed to face Kasumi, and reached for her. Her older sister reached right back, and they held each other. She realized that Kasumi was just as worried for Doctor Tofu as she was for Ranma. She whimpered softly as she and her sister clutched each other in fear as poor substitutes for the men who were out fighting for them. Sleep mercifully pulled her away from those worries.

  


1\. "你知道为什么。" (Nǐ zhīdào wèishéme. — You know why.)


	46. Some Things Are More Important

Nabiki woke slowly to low voices whispering in the room. Someone was whispering to someone on the other side of the room. She had been having a terrible dream about Ranma being ripped away from her, so she wasn't too upset about being woken u—

"—one for now, think it's ove—"

"—ow's your da—"

 _That's Ranma's voice_. She thought as her mind rose back up to awareness. _But, who's he talking to?_

"Fine —e's fine..."

"—ou okay?"

 _Akane. That's Akane_. She thought coldly. She knew it wasn't reasonable, but it made her angry that Akane was whispering to Ranma in the dark. _My Ranma_.

"—'m fine... jus' tired ya kno—"

If Akane said anything to that, she couldn't hear it. She got ready to say something so Ranma would know she was awake, but paused when Akane spoke again.

"—ou coming to bed soon?"

"Nah. —'re sleepin' in shifts. The 'Doc 'n me are on watch right now. —ou're Dad is up next. I'm standin' in for my —seless Pop." He added with a note of disgust in his voice.

She couldn't hear anything Akane said in response to that. Her imagination was running wild. All she could picture was Akane kissing him greedily to reward him for his sacrifice for her family. In her mind she saw Akane reaching for him tenderly, and leading him away to somewhere private where Akane could show him the feelings that her younger sister had such a hard time saying.

She _had to_ see what they were doing. She knew the rising tide of panic clawing its way up her throat was mostly her imagination, but she couldn't help it. She couldn't control how she felt.

Slowly, very slowly, she shifted in her warm bed to turn her head enough so she could see past Kasumi's arm. Kasumi, surprisingly, was still holding on to her tightly, the same as she had been doing when they had drifted off to sleep together. She realized from her feeling of her own arms, that she had shifted in the other direction and had her arms outstretched towards nothing. She was reaching to the same side of the bed that Ranma had been on relative to her, before he had been taken away from her.

When she finally had her head turned enough, she cracked one eye open in the direction she had heard the voices from. Ranma was standing inside the room looking out towards the courtyard. He had his right arm braced up against one of the sliding doors, like he was tired and needed to lean on something. Akane was standing next to him and still whispering to him in a very quiet voice. Ranma was mostly nodding. As she watched, Akane raised her left hand up and set it gently on his right shoulder, and squeezed softly.

Ranma raised his own left hand up across his body and put his hand over Akane's. It was a gesture of support, and acceptance of support. But it still enraged the dragon inside her.

 _Ranma is MINE!_ She growled to herself. She prepared herself to make a loud noise to announce her wakefulness. But before she could, Ranma turned and looked directly at Akane and leaned in close to her sister's ear.

Her heart froze, as did the rest of her body.

_If he kisses her ... I ..._

She didn't have a good way to end that thought. She didn't know what she would do. As she watched him through the crack in her eyelid, she clenched her entire body in fear as he leaned in.

Instead of kissing Akane, he put his lips up next to Akane's ear and whispered something to her younger sister. Akane nodded softly. She saw Akane's arms twitch like she wanted to move them, probably to hug him. But Akane seemed to stop herself, the same as her timid sister always did.

She unclenched when Ranma pulled his head back from Akane. She was just about to release her held breath and announce herself, when Ranma swept his gaze over to where she was. His eyes lingered on her for several seconds. In his eyes she saw love, determination, passion, duty ... and understanding. She knew he knew she was awake, and watching him. She didn't know if he resented her essentially spying on him, or if he was trying to let her know, without tipping Akane off, that he knew she was awake and he wanted to reassure her.

A moment later he turned his attention back towards Akane, and whispered something else to her sister, then he slipped out the door and was gone. She waited a handful of seconds, then went through an exaggerated motion of yawning and stretching. She turned her head fully towards Akane but found her little sister staring out the door after Ranma, instead of looking towards herself.

She gently pulled Kasumi's arms off herself and rose to her knees on the bed. The cold of the very early morning air hit her immediately, and she shivered. Akane looked back at her then and locked eyes with her for a moment before her younger sister turned back to staring out the door. She hadn't been able to read Akane's eyes. The general feeling she was getting from Akane was mostly sadness and other jumbled emotions that she was sure were all swirling around her younger sister's suddenly detached relationship with Ranma.

She stood up from the bed, and walked over to where Akane was standing looking out of the space between the sliding doors. She saw Doctor Tofu carrying an unconscious Amazon she didn't recognize across the grounds, and towards the front gates. Ranma was walking beside him and speaking quietly to the Doctor. She noticed that Ranma was constantly moving his head and looking for threats though. He was probably guarding Doctor Tofu while they gathered up defeated Amazons.

"They've been fighting them off all night." Akane whispered to her without looking over at her.

She took a moment to process that as she watched Ranma's back retreat out of view as he escorted Doctor Tofu towards the front of the house. Once Ranma slipped from her view, she responded. "How many?" She asked.

"I don't know. They woke me up a few hours ago when one of their fights got pretty close to us. I got up so I'd be ready to protect Kasumi and ... if they got in here." Akane said quietly.

It had not escaped her notice that there had been a pause where Akane would logically have mentioned herself. Akane probably didn't know if she would be offended or not at the suggestion that her younger sister would protect her. She smiled softly at Akane as she put her hand on her sister's shoulder, similar to what Akane had done with Ranma.

"Thank you." She said simply.

Akane obviously got the message and patted her hand to acknowledge the gesture. "I'm worried about them." Akane said after a moment's pause as both of them exchanged looks that shared a great deal about what they were feeling, while also leaving a large amount left unsaid.

"I am too." She replied as she turned to look out into the courtyard. She could tell by the color of the sky that the dawn would break soon. She wasn't going to try to go back to sleep. "Have any of them gotten any sleep?" She asked.

Akane shrugged. "I don't know. You know how he is, he could be bleeding to death with a cut the size of a watermelon slice, and he'd swear it was just a scratch." Akane said in a frustrated voice that was also tinged with a note of admiration.

"Yeah ... I know." She said as she reached her arm out and pulled Akane close to herself in a side hug. Akane flinched at the contact then immediately softened and sank into the hug almost eagerly. Her little sister was probably starved for human contact, not to mention reassurance.

 _Not that I have much to give her._ She thought bitterly. She still didn't know which way Ranma was leaning concerning choosing between the two of them, and she had no answers for Akane about how the situation with the Amazons was going to play out. _It must be incredibly frustrating for her to be sitting on the sidelines of this_. She thought about her little sister as she hugged Akane tightly and waited for the dawn with her.

***

When the sun broke over the tops of the houses she let go of Akane, and they parted ways silently. Both of them wanted more or less the same thing, and both of them knew that in order for one of them to get what they wanted, the other would have to be forever shut out from getting it. There just ... wasn't much anyone could say about a situation like that.

Akane headed out of the room as she turned around to face Kasumi. She heard her older sister shifting in the bed. Kasumi had an incredible internal clock, and usually woke with the dawn to help ready the household for a new day. She felt a surge of love for Kasumi and went to go stand over her.

She smiled down gently at Kasumi as her elder sister opened her eyes. Her keen eyes caught the small detail that Kasumi flexed her hands momentarily, like she was reaching for something ... or someone.

"Is Doctor Tofu all right?" Was the very first thing Kasumi said. She could tell that Kasumi was trying to sound nonchalant, but that the concern was real.

She smiled at Kasumi. "He's fine. He and Ranma are standing watch right now while Daddy sleeps. They're clearing away the Amazons they knocked out last night." She said as she reached a hand down to help her sister up.

Kasumi reached up to her hesitantly and took her hand. Kasumi's hand was warm. She flexed her arm and pulled and managed to help Kasumi to her feet ... more or less. Her older sister was a bit taller and heavier than her.

 _And I am not exactly a pillar of strength_. She thought derisively. 

"Is Ranma all right?" Kasumi asked. She shrugged in reply. She honestly didn't know if he'd been hurt last night, or if he was just tired. She hadn't gotten a very good look at him before he had left.

"Well, let's go see then." Kasumi said with a gentle smile. She opened her mouth to argue with Kasumi, then closed it. She actually couldn't think of a good reason to refuse to go. It felt like she was intruding, but she did want to see how he was doing, up close.

She nodded and allowed Kasumi to pull her towards the sliding doors. Her older sister gently slid each door open about a quarter meter, then stepped softly on to the deck and looked around.

She looked around too, and smiled. It was another beautiful day. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and there wasn't any sign of the fighting that had been happening over the night.

Daddy was slumped up against the wall of the house to the left under a light blanket, and snoring softly. He had dark circles under his eyes. Ranma's dad was up against the opposite wall, also snoring. Genma didn't have any dark circles under his eyes though. He did have a bandage on his arm, and another on his ankle though.

 _I guess he really did get hurt_. She thought grudgingly. She would easily have been willing to assume a conspiracy to take Ranma away from her last night. However, the spots of blood that had seeped through the bandage on his arm seemed to bear witness to the authenticity of the claim of injury.

Kasumi was staring at Daddy with worry on her face. Her older sister hadn't spared more than a glance for Ranma's dad. It was the unspoken consensus among all of the Tendo girls, that Genma was only endured because of Ranma. If it had only been Genma staying with them, because he was Daddy's friend, she knew that all of them would have eventually put their collective feet down in protest. The man had few, if any, redeeming qualities.

 _At least he is fighting though_. She thought with grudging respect. She was sure he was doing it because it was the bare minimum he could get away with doing, and continue to stay with them.

She turned her attention back to Kasumi and smiled as she tugged on her older sister's hand. "They were heading to the front gates." She said.

Kasumi nodded and fell into step with her. They walked for a few moments in silence. Both of them were shivering a bit in the early morning cold. Both of them also froze in place when they heard Ranma shout.

"—NOTHER ON—!"

They looked at each other in sudden fear. Was that—

"—ERE TO—!" 

That had been Doctor Tofu's voice. The sounds of fighting came from two different locations around the corner they had been approaching, near the front of the house.

She and Kasumi both came to the same conclusion at the same time. The Amazons weren't done attacking!

She looked at Kasumi with panic in her eyes and tilted her head urgently towards the house and the doors they had exited. It wasn't safe for them to be outside.

Kasumi nodded, and they both turned around and walked quickly back towards the house. They weren't fast enough.

An Amazon she didn't recognize jumped down from the roof to block their path. She swore darkly under her breath as she pulled Kasumi behind herself and brought her hands up into a fighting stance.

The Amazon smiled eagerly, almost greedily at her and started to advance slowly towards them.

 _I hope the same trick I used on Kodachi will work again_. She thought as she tried to tap into her Ki as Ranma had shown her how to do. She couldn't do it though, she was too scared.

Another soft thumping sound sounded behind them. Kasumi squeaked in surprise. She whipped her head backwards for a split second, and caught sight of yet another Amazon she didn't recognize approaching them from behind.

"Father!" Kasumi yelled in fright.

 _That's actually a good idea, why didn't I think of that?_ She chastised herself. She saw out of the corner of her eye that Daddy was indeed rousing, but he wasn't going to get on his feet in time to stop the attack. The Amazon in front of them smiled lazily and spun some sort of a knife or something similar in her hand as the Amazon changed her approach from a slow walk to a sprint.

Kasumi screamed.

She braced herself and focused on the Amazon's hand that had the weapon in it. She heard something heavy approaching them from another direction, but she couldn't spare the time to look at it.

The Amazon reached striking distance with her, and her instincts took over. She side stepped to the right as she swept her left hand out to block while she pivoted her hips and raised her right hand up into a closed fist to swing it in and strike the Amazon's exposed forearm. She hit hard enough that she was able to stun the Amazon's grip on the weapon enough that it dropped from the Amazon's hand. She had been lucky that the Amazon had chosen the most direct path with the weapon to stab at her lazily, almost like a punch, as that was the only kind of hand strike she knew how to defend against. If the Amazon had gotten tricky with the blade, she'd probably be dead.

She brought her hands back up to protect her face. Well, she tried to anyway. She realized as she was trying to bring them back, that the Amazon had been toying with her as a fist smashed into her jaw and sent her stumbling backwards. She grunted in surprise and pain and stumbled backwards away from her attacker as she saw stars.

She spared a glance towards Kasumi to see if her older sister was all right. Daddy was on his feet now, and he was heading towards Kasumi, but he wouldn't get there in time. The Amazon charging Kasumi had a wicked smile on her face as she brought a spear into striking position.

She sucked her breath in to scream. Before she could though, a streak of blurred motion flashed across her vision. A heartbeat later the blur solidified into Doctor Tofu as he jumped in front of Kasumi silently but with merciless eyes as he shielded her sister.

He snapped the spear into three pieces with quick motions of his hands, as he used his body to push Kasumi out of the path of danger. She couldn't see a battle aura on him, but she felt a strong feeling of an angry and icy control from him.

As she struggled to clear the stars from her sight, Daddy reached Kasumi and pulled her older sister into his arms as he leaped clear of the fight.

At the same time, she felt strong, female arms wrap themselves around her neck from the side, and start to squeeze. Her vision started to dim.

She tried to remember what she was supposed to do when someone put her in a headlock from the side, but her mind was blank. She was too scared.

 _Ran ... ma..._ she thought as her vision darkened. She wanted to call for him, but she couldn't. But, surely Ranma was coming for her. He would never allow her to be hurt. _But ... he doesn't know I'm in trouble, does he? And it sounded like he was in a fight earlier...oh no_. She thought.

She started to feel her limbs becoming non-responsive as her vision darkened even further. The Amazon who was choking her leaned over to stare in her face and smirk as the grip around her neck tightened. She could smell the faint aroma of Chinese incense on the Amazon. For some reason her mind focused on that detail as her vision grew dim.

Then two things happened at the same time. The Amazon's head snapped backwards and the pressure around her neck suddenly went away. She found herself sitting down quickly on the ground as her legs gave out.

 _He came for me, Ranma saved m—_ she thought as she looked up ... and found Akane standing over the Amazon with a blazing red inferno of a battle aura radiating like fire around her.

Akane's eyes didn't look right, and her younger sister wasn't looking at her. Akane was in full combat mode. As she watched, the Amazon Akane had pulled off her tried to get back up, and Akane's foot lashed out from a low pivot stance, and cracked the Chinese Warrior in the face. The Amazon went sprawling, and didn't get back up.

Akane reached a hand down for her, still without looking at her. She grasped Akane's hand, and was yanked unceremoniously to her feet by Akane's strong arm. Akane pulled her behind herself, and started backing towards the doors with her using swift strides that kept her younger sister in a fighting stance with every step.

They didn't get very far. Two more Amazons dropped down to block their path to the doors, while another two plopped down on the opposite side of them. They were surrounded. Akane growled low and dangerously.

The Amazons didn't waste any time putting on a show for their new attack, all four of them ran towards them at the same time. She opened her eyes wide in fear. _How is Akane going to take on fou—_

She didn't get a chance to finish the thought as a bright red blur streaked down from the roof and landed right on top of the two Amazons approaching from the side blocking the door with the crashing sound of bodies impacting the ground. The shockwave from his landing was strong enough that she felt it in her teeth.

"BEHIND ME!" He yelled to Akane, who nodded and herded her behind Ranma, so she was sandwiched between the two of them while Ranma stayed facing the other two Amazons who had paused their charge. The expressions on the remaining two Amazon's faces showed that they knew that their odds of winning had been dramatically reduced.

Akane kept one arm firmly around her waist as her younger sister faced the other direction, and moved in sync with Ranma back towards the doors to the house.

It was over a few seconds after that. The two Amazons made half-hearted sweeps towards them, and Ranma swatted them away. Moments later, as if someone had blown a time-out whistle, all of the Amazons she could see jumped clear of their walls at the same time, and were gone.

Akane finished pulling her back into the house and immediately let go of her. She sank to the floor on shaking legs as Akane headed away from her. Ranma took up a soldier's stance in front of her, facing away from her. She was crying, and she couldn't stop. _That was terrifying!_ She thought as she gulped air into her lungs shakily.

A moment later as she forced herself to calm down, she looked up to find Akane. She wanted to thank her sister for saving her. But Akane was moving quickly towards the Amazon who had been choking her.

Ranma figured it out before she did, and called for her to stop. "Akane, no, wait!" Ranma yelled in an alarmed tone as he sprinted after Akane.

She sucked an alarmed breath in past her clenched teeth as she realized that Akane was going back to _finish off_ the Amazon who had attacked her. At least, it seemed like that was what Akane was doing.

Akane reached the Amazon and stood there motionless for a moment as Ranma ran over to her, calling for her to stop. Akane didn't look back, but did hesitate as she raised her hand up to strike.

"Akane! Akane, no!" Ranma yelled as he reached her little sister. He didn't grab Akane, he stepped around her and blocked her path to the Amazon.

Akane didn't answer him, but she also didn't move to strike either.

"Akane...Akane, come back ... Akane! Come back, Akane! Don't do it!" Ranma yelled sternly.

Akane finally moved. Her little sister stepped to the side and tried to go around Ranma. Her eyes still seemed ... wrong. Ranma was forced to move with her, and put his hands out wide to block Akane's path. Akane pressed into him, and tried to push past him. Ranma dug his heels in and used his greater strength against her little sister. He was able to stop Akane, but she could see the muscles in his body straining. He was stronger than her little sister, but the difference in their strength wasn't non-trivial, it seemed.

Akane wasn't fighting him, but her little sister did continue to try to push past him, to get to the Amazon laying unconscious on the ground.

"Step back, son. I'll handle this." Daddy called out as he jumped down from the roof with Kasumi still in his arms. He handed Kasumi over to Doctor Tofu as he stepped forward quickly and pulled Ranma back from Akane.

Ranma obeyed Daddy, and released his hold on Akane. Her little sister surged forward rapidly and raised her hand to strike as Daddy stepped in and caught her strongly, but softly.

Nabiki gasped as competing emotions of familial love and appreciation for what both Akane and Daddy were going through hit her hard as the tears started up again and her body shook from emotion. Ranma stood to the side of the conflict and locked eyes with her for a moment.

She could tell that he was anguished that she had been hurt, and also that he was freaked out that Akane was so far gone that he couldn't reach her. It struck her then how bad it would be if Ranma ever lost control like Akane was now. She shook her head clear of such thoughts though, it wasn't the time for them.

She darted her eyes over to Doctor Tofu as Daddy took up Ranma's struggle to keep Akane from crossing the line. Doctor Tofu had his eyes fixed on Kasumi's eyes as he held her older sister in a hug position up off the ground. As she watched, Doctor Tofu slowly let Kasumi slide to the ground softly, gently, and tenderly. It was very out of place in contrast to the struggle going on with Akane. It also showed where Doctor Tofu put his priorities.

It was quite obvious that he valued Kasumi over all of them, and when push came to shove, he would choose Kasumi. She wasn't mad that Doctor Tofu had saved Kasumi instead of herself. She would have done the same thing in reverse if both Ranma and Doctor Tofu had been in trouble and she had to pick one.

As soon as Kasumi's feet touched the ground, her older sister reached her arms up and draped them around Doctor Tofu's neck and leaned into him while closing her eyes. She could see Kasumi's lips moving, but obviously couldn't hear what was said.

It became apparent a moment later though, as they both let go of each other and Kasumi pushed him forward with a light hand at the small of his back and a concerned look towards Akane. Doctor Tofu nodded and walked forward towards where Akane was still trying to get to the Amazon. His glasses were shining, but he seemed to be in control.

"Akane, this is your father! Listen to me! It's over. Stop! The Anything Goes School of Martial Arts DOES NOT injure defeated opponents! Listen to me! Akane ... Akane!" Daddy said as he continued to try to reach Akane.

As she watched, her younger sister slowly lowered her hands and looked up at Daddy for a moment. Confusion was showing on Akane's face now. After another moment Akane nodded and slumped against Daddy as whatever had control of her finally let go. She could see her sister's body start to shudder as Akane came back to herself and cried.

Daddy pulled Akane into his arms and picked her up off the ground so he was cradling her across both his arms like her younger sister was a little girl. Doctor Tofu reached them and quickly leaned in and looked into Akane's eyes, then whispered something to Daddy as he put his hand on his shoulder and steered him into the house. They took Akane into the house, and didn't look back.

She looked over at Ranma as tears slipped down her cheeks, and opened her mouth to call for him, but no sound would come out. She didn't know how to process what had just happened. Her life had been in danger, again. And this time Ranma hadn't prevented them from hurting her. She knew that wasn't fair to him, but she was still shaken.

Ranma nodded urgently to her, but held up a finger for her to wait as he jogged over to where Doctor Tofu had set Kasumi down. He quickly ushered Kasumi across the courtyard back towards the house.

As Ranma passed his father who was, somehow, still sleeping, he reached out a hand and smacked the back of his father's head, hard.

"Wake up old man!" Ranma growled as he passed quickly with Kasumi. Genma pitched forward from the force of Ranma's smack and ended up face-down on the ground. Genma then slowly started to get to his feet as he rubbed the back of his head and scowled as he cursed at Ranma crossly.

Kasumi quickly put a hand up over her mouth to cover an amused smile. She also found herself smiling as she continued to cry while Ranma made his way over to her and let go of Kasumi.

As soon as Ranma stepped back into the house, she surged powerfully to her feet and threw herself into his arms with all of her strength. She didn't care how it looked, she _needed_ him right now.

Ranma seemed to understand. He held her gently and whispered nonsense into her ear until she calmed down. She had her face buried into his neck and stayed that way until her breathing calmed down.

When she felt more like herself again, she placed her hands on his chest and pushed herself away from him a little bit, so she could look into his eyes while he held her in his warm arms. He smiled at her as she did so.

"You OK?" He asked softly, timidly.

She nodded, then shook her head as tears threatened to break free again. It took her a moment to fight them back before she could answer. "I guess I'm all right. I mean, I got punched in the face, and choked, but nothing too bad, I guess." She finished lamely. She was already feeling better in his arms. It occurred to her that he might not have been willing to hold and comfort her if she had succeeded in getting him to be physical with her last night, and then was feeling guilty or regretting it now. All kinds of things could have gone wrong or gotten complicated by that.

 _What if I had scared him away? What would I do?_ She asked herself with no answers. It was far more important to her at the moment that she had the emotional connection with him, over sharing a deeply intimately physical one. _I want both, but if I have to choose..._

"I'm ... sorry..." Ranma whispered to her.

She looked up into his eyes in confusion. It took her a moment to realize that he was referring to her being hurt. She smiled shakily at him. "You aren't responsible for me, Ranma. Kasumi and I should have known better than to do that. It was our fault." She said bravely.

He shook his head. "We're supposed to be watchin' the house. I shouldn't have gone with the Doc to the front of the house. I was bein' stupid." He said with determination.

She sighed. "Let's just agree that decisions were made that weren't the best that could have been made, and leave it at that, all right?" She asked him.

He stared at her with anguish in his eyes. "Are ya ... are ya mad at me?" He asked her.

She shook her head firmly. "No, if anything I'm mad at myself. I'm supposed to be smart." She said with exasperation in her voice and a small smile on her lips. It was amazing how much better she felt now, than she had just a moment ago.

 _If I could find a way to bottle and sell the way he makes me feel, I would be the richest person on Earth!_ She thought idly as she wiggled in his arms in a silent signal for him to let her down.

He slowly relaxed his grip on her so she slid down him ... just like Doctor Tofu had done with Kasumi.

 _Probably a guy thing_. She thought to herself with amusement. She knew damn well he was probably enjoying the feeling of the front of her rubbing down the front of him. She didn't begrudge him the small pleasure though, after all, she had been the one to throw herself into his arms.

They held each other's arms gently once her feet were back on the floor. She looked into his eyes happily for a few more moments, then she moved first and stepped back from him.

"I'm ... gonna go see how Kasumi is doing." She said awkwardly.

He nodded. "I'm gonna go help Pop watch the house." He said.

"Walk Akane and I to school in a little bit?" She asked. She didn't think it would be right to leave Akane behind after her little sister had saved her life earlier.

He nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I'll be ready ta go when you are." He said as he waved and stepped out the door.

She waved back and then headed towards the kitchen where she could already hear Kasumi working on preparing breakfast.

She entered the kitchen slowly and carefully. She knew that Kasumi knew a lot more about what was going on than anyone was talking about. She was both ashamed of her behavior, and very defensive of it ... even proud of it. Despite everything else going on, she was quite pleased with herself for not only being able to attract Ranma's attention, but being able to hold it too. She hoped Kasumi wouldn't press her too hard about it, she didn't want to fight.

Kasumi looked up from the assembly of items being sorted through on the kitchen island-counter to prepare breakfast with, and smiled at her.

"How are you doing?" Kasumi asked her softly.

She smiled at Kasumi. "That was what I came to ask you. That was scary outside." She replied as she walked over to stand opposite Kasumi and began to help with the food preparation without being asked.

Kasumi smiled at her. "I wasn't asking about outside. I'm sure we both feel about the same about that. Of course I didn't get hit, you did. You should let me look at it later. But ... anyway, I was asking ... about everything else." Kasumi said quietly.

She locked eyes with her older sister for a moment, and tried to express without words how she was feeling. She was in love with Ranma. She had admitted that to herself. She hadn't told him that for real, but she had tried to show it to him physically.

 _And that ... probably ... wasn't the wisest decision I've ever made_. She thought halfheartedly. A part of her still _really_ wanted to be physical with Ranma. Luckily, Kasumi had pulled him away before anything too serious had happened. That meant she hadn't gotten what she wanted, but it also meant that she hadn't scared him away either. She didn't know if it had been Kasumi's idea to pull Ranma away from her last night, or someone else's. Hell, if she hadn't seen the bloodied bandage on Genma with her own eyes, she would have suspected that Kasumi had pulled him away simply to keep her from going too far, too fast with Ranma.

She trusted Ranma, and she loved him, but she was kind of stuck at the moment. It was all too difficult to put into words. It was probably similar to how Kasumi felt about Doctor Tofu, actually.

Kasumi smiled at her and set down the food being prepared, and reached across the counter-top to hold her hand lightly for a moment.

Her older sister squeezed her hand gently and sent her own silent message to her using only her eyes as well.

She could tell that Kasumi understood. She smiled back and nodded hesitantly. It was weird for her having a real, personal, connection with Kasumi on a human level. Kasumi had always been the female authority figure of the household, standing in for ... Mom. She idly wondered if she would have been able to have a moment like she was having now with Kasumi, with Mom, if Mom was here.

She looked down at the food she was preparing, suddenly flustered. She was in uncharted territory. She didn't know what she was doing with Ranma, or Kasumi, or Daddy, or even Akane. She had no answers. She had no plan. She was making it up as she went along. She worked in silence across from Kasumi for a while, not sure what to say. She wanted to talk to her older sister, but didn't know how to start. Kasumi seemed to be content to wait her out until she was ready. She sighed and opened her mouth to say something, anything—

Doctor Tofu bustled into the kitchen then and headed straight for the freezer mumbling about ice for Akane. Both of them looked up at him. Kasumi looked at him with friendly warmth. She looked at him with relief that she had been saved from her awkward attempts to talk to Kasumi.

Doctor Tofu wasn't looking at either of them. It was probably his way of controlling his goofy act around Kasumi. She had very little patience for his act at the moment. She waved to him and spoke up. "Doctor Tofu, how's Akane?" She asked as he turned from the freezer with one of the ice bags Kasumi always kept prepared for just such purposes.

He paused and looked up at her and smiled softly. "She's going to be fine. She's resting now. I'll have her up on her feet in just a little bit longer. I just want her nerves to settle a bit first." He said kindly, all without looking at Kasumi. Kasumi continued to smile at him, but she could see her older sister's posture wilt just a little bit at his lack of a response to her presence.

The doctor smiled and took a step to leave the room, but she held a hand up to stop him. "Was it ... what we talked about the other day?" She asked.

"Yes." He said softly.

"Will she—"

"I can tell you about it later, but I really should get this ice to her." He interrupted her as he stepped towards the door again.

Kasumi stepped forward and held her hand out. "I can take it to her." Her older sister said firmly.

Doctor Tofu looked over at Kasumi, and she could see his glasses shimmer as he fought back his normal goofy act and nodded as he handed the bag of ice over.

Kasumi smiled and hurried out of the room. She noticed that Kasumi ran her hand up his arm as she left the room. She also didn't miss him follow her older sister with his eyes, until Kasumi was gone.

She smirked inwardly. _My ass he isn't interested in her_. She thought to herself. For some reason, she felt a small seed of irritation take root in her chest at the same time.

She leaned back against the counter and looked at him with appraising eyes. He looked back at her with eyes that had a depth to them that she couldn't fathom. For some reason she felt uneasy in his presence at the moment. She ignored it though. She wanted to ask him some questions.

"You sure Akane will be all right?" She asked mostly just to get him talking.

"Yes, she'll be all right. She lost herself a bit there for a moment, but I have seen far worse cases than that. She wasn't so far gone that she couldn't be reached." He said kindly as he took a half-step towards the doorway.

"What about Kasumi?" She called out to him, pausing his exit.

"What about her?" He asked softly without turning back to look at her.

"Will ... will Kasumi be all right?" She asked lamely.

He turned back and looked at her then with a quizzical expression on his face.

"What do you mean? Nobody touched her." He said softly.

"I ... I didn't mean the fight, I meant with ... you." She said just as softly.

He didn't say anything to that. He just stared at her. She finally couldn't bear the silence any more and tried again. "You know, I have a feeling if you asked Kasumi out, she would say yes. As a matter of fact, I would bet money she would say yes." She prodded him.

He looked away from her then and stared at the window over the sink. She was about to give up and just leave when he finally spoke. "Suspecting something, and knowing that thing to be a fact, are two very different things..." He said in a low, rigid tone. All of the warmth had left his voice.

She smiled at him as she tried to hide her irritation. She said nothing as she waited for him to say what he wanted to say. When it became clear a few moments later that he wasn't going to say more without being prompted, she tried again.

"All right, fine, I _know_ she would say yes." She said in a slightly annoyed tone. "You know that, don't you?" She asked him almost as an accusation.

He sighed. "I am the wisest man alive, for I know that I know nothing." He said resolutely. She was sure he was quoting something, but the source escaped her at the moment.

"Well, _I_ know that Kasumi would say yes. What have you got to lose?" She asked him with frustration creeping into her voice.

He dragged his eyes off the window and regarded her for a few silent moments before he spoke again. "Nothing ... I have nothing to lose." He said quietly, even sadly. "The Buddha said that holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else ... no matter what, you also will be burned by doing so." He added after another moment. It seemed like he was talking to himself.

She sighed and gave up on that topic for now, and tried a safer topic as he turned to leave again. "How much longer do you think you and Daddy can keep watching the house? How long can you all keep going?" She asked softly.

He turned back and smiled at her reassuringly.

"I can't speak for your father, or the Saotomes. However, I know what I am capable of. Don't worry about it. Even if it just comes down to me, this household will not fall while I am alive. If I have to, I can do it alone." Doctor Tofu said in a weirdly detached way.

"But, Doctor—" She tried to protest.

"Understand this, Nabiki. I will die before anyone harms you or your sisters. I will do what must be done." His eyes were hard.

"But ... aren't you a pacifist?" She asked carefully.

He smiled at her softly. "I ... would prefer not to take a life, yes." He said simply.

"Then ... how—"

"Some things..." he interrupted her again, "... some things are more important than anything else... even beliefs, even promises, even oaths sworn in careful seriousness. Sometimes, in life, we are given a second chance ... to try to help right the wrongs from the past. Believe me when I tell you that you and your sisters are that important to me. If anyone is in this house who intends to harm this family, then I am either dead, or right behind them." He said strongly as his eyes got darker. It was like he was slipping into a different person right before her as he talked about breaking oaths for her and her sisters.

"O-okay, Doctor. I-I...believe you. T-thank you." She stammered out weakly. He was scaring her.

He responded instantly to the fear in her voice. His eyes cleared, and his soft demeanor returned. "Like I said, don't worry about it. Trust in me, and your Dad, and Ranma. Do what you need to do. Keep going, and don't worry. I will keep you and your sisters safe. And Ranma will keep you safe too, I have no doubt of that." He said kindly.

She smiled warmly. "I don't doubt it, either." She said softly as he smiled at her a final time, then slipped out of the kitchen.

She stood in the silent kitchen for a few moments after that and did her best to get her emotions under control. Eventually she slipped out of the kitchen and went through her normal morning routine as she tried to ignore that her little sister was laying down somewhere recovering from the fight, and Ranma was outside standing guard over her family, and Doctor Tofu was slowly getting ... worrisome.

She got dressed, ate breakfast and headed for the door almost in a daze. When she walked into the front entryway, she found Akane already there slipping on her shoes. She smiled at her little sister.

"How are you feeling?" She asked Akane.

Akane turned and smiled back at her. "I'm fine." Akane said softly, then looked away from her. She could tell that Akane was not feeling all that fine, but there wasn't anything she could do about that.

She hurried to put her own shoes on, and then put her hand on Akane's shoulder gently. Akane turned back and looked at her with searching eyes.

"Would you like to walk to school with Ranma and me?" She asked sincerely.

Akane smiled at her but surprised her by shaking her head. "No, it's all right, he's your fiancé."

She shook her head determinedly and tightened her grip on Akane's shoulder. "That doesn't matter right now. I want you to be safe."

Akane smiled at her and patted her hand. "Don't worry, Doctor Tofu said he'd walk me to school while Dad and Mister Saotome watch Kasumi." Akane said in a brave voice.

"But, Akane—"

"It's fine, Nabiki ... really." Akane said softly as her younger sister reached up gently and pried her hand off.

She didn't have much more to say to that so she just smiled shakily at Akane as her younger sister smiled back just as shakily, and walked out the front door.

Doctor Tofu was out there waiting with Ranma. Both of the guys looked up as the door opened. Ranma smiled nervously at her and Akane. Doctor Tofu just looked at them with gentle, but firm eyes. Both of the guys were standing in combat stances, although she could tell they were trying to pretend that they were just standing that way by coincidence.

Akane walked straight towards the front gate after staring at Ranma for a moment and exchanging a look with him. The expression on Akane's face was a mixture of sadness, and other emotions she couldn't quite distinguish. She _could_ tell that Akane was fighting back tears though. Doctor Tofu followed Akane closely, keeping his soldier's body language evident in every aspect of his motions.

She knew that Doctor Tofu could hide his martial prowess. The fact that he was openly advertising it now could mean a lot of things. The most obvious meaning was that he was trying to warn attackers away.

Ranma smiled at her and reached out a hand for her, and all thoughts about everything else fled her mind. She walked forward eagerly and laced her fingers into his, and let him pull her close.

 _It doesn't matter what's happening, as long as he's willing to hold me_. She thought with determination. She looked up to stare into his eyes happily, but found him looking across the street as he twisted his body a bit to cover more of her body with his own.

She followed his gaze and gasped quietly. Shampoo was standing on a rooftop across the street and looking at Ranma sadly. As she watched, Shampoo reached her own hand out towards him in a pitiful expression of longing. Ranma just stared at the Amazon. She strongly suspected that the attack on herself and Kasumi had soured Ranma on the Amazons considerably.

A moment later Shampoo looked over her shoulder at something unseen and unheard, and then looked back at Ranma with anguish in her eyes as she let her hand drop to her side. The young Chinese girl held her gaze on him for another few moments, then slipped back into the shadows of the rooftop, and was gone.

Ranma stared at where Shampoo had been standing for a while after that before he finally looked back down at her and smiled nervously as he tugged her in the direction of the front gate and they started walking to school.

 _Well that ... wasn't a good sign_. She thought nervously.


	47. This Is Dangerous

Nabiki walked side by side with Ranma quietly in the cool morning air, until they were no longer within sight of the house. Then she tugged on his hand to stop him. He slowed to a stop immediately and snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him as he looked around for threats. That hadn't been her intention, but she sank into his warm arms willfully and relaxed against him anyway. 

_I don't think I will ever get tired of this._ She thought without a shred of guilt as she breathed in his intoxicating cedar and flower scent and rubbed her cheek on the silk of his shirt. It was a clean shirt. _He must have changed quickly before leaving_. She thought idly.

"I don't see nothin'." Ranma whispered quietly to her without letting her go.

"I wasn't signaling you that I saw anything." She whispered back with a trace of amusement in her voice.

"Oh ... I thought Shampoo might be..." Ranma said as he relaxed his arm from around her and leaned back a bit from her. Now that the threat of danger was past, she knew he didn't feel comfortable just holding her in public for no reason.

She sighed and smiled at him. _Don't scare the bunny_. She chastised herself. "I just wanted to ask if you were all right. Did they hurt you last night?"

"Oh ... nah, I'm fine." He said as he nudged her to start walking again. 

She nodded and fell into step with him. She looked over at him, and knew that he was lying though. He had dark circles under his eyes, so at the very least he hadn't gotten enough sleep. Additionally, he seemed to be favoring his left side over his right side ever so slightly. Obviously nothing was broken or bleeding, but he had clearly at least gotten sore from something last night. She sighed again and squeezed his hand.

_It's not like there's anything I can do for him. I can't even send him home to go sleep. I need him with me to keep me safe._ She thought with no small amount of bitterness. She was finding it harder and harder to view the Amazons as a nuisance. She was starting to strongly dislike them.

Ranma walked with her in silence for a few more moments. She knew he could and would walk with her comfortably in silence all the way to school. She was sure the lack of conversation made it easier for him to watch for threats. But she wanted to talk to him.

_I don't have a lot of time left until the end of our week. I need to make more of a connection with him_. She thought with determination that was almost mild desperation. _No time like the present I guess_. She thought as she turned to him.

"How are you feeling, Ranma?" She asked carefully. She wanted to wade slowly into the relationship talk waters.

"I'm all right." He said without looking at her. But he did briefly squeeze her hand.

She smiled and pushed a little more. "I meant about us. How are you feeling about us?" She asked softly.

She felt his hand twitch in hers, but other than that he gave no outward sign of nervousness or any other negative emotions.

"You ... you know ... you know how I ..." He trailed off quietly.

She sighed. She was going to have to keep spoon feeding him. _Like a baby bunny._ She thought with a smile as she tried again. "I know, Ranma. But, how would you describe us to someone else?"

"What do ya mean?" He asked softly.

"If Riko asked you about us, what would you tell her?" She whispered.

"Oh, well if Riko asked, I'd tell her we're _special friends._ " He said with a heavy emphasis on _special friends._

She stopped walking and looked at him with her mouth open. _Did he just_... she thought in shock.

Ranma stopped too and looked back at her with some amusement on his tired face.

A slow smile started to grow on her own face. "Did you ... did you know what Riko meant when she said that the other day?" She asked with amusement.

He smiled and nodded at her. "Yeah, I knew. I know I didn't grow up normal like the rest of you, but I read and watch movies 'n stuff. And we do sleep together, even though I know that isn't what Riko meant." He said defensively, but with a trace of laughter in his voice.

_Apparently the secret to getting him to drop some of his shields is just to get him really tired_. She thought happily as she tugged his hand to start him walking again. She listened to the soft swishing and gurgling sound of the water in the canal for a moment as she processed what she had just learned.

She looked over at him after a moment, and grinned as she pressed him for more information. "All right, so if you weren't teasing Riko, what would you tell people?" She asked him. She couldn't help herself, she was desperate to find out her standing with him. _Is Akane winning? Am I winning? I have no idea_. She thought with unresolved tension.

"Well ... dependin' on who asked, I guess I would say you're my fiancé, or that we're datin'." He said softly.

She nodded her head and walked quietly with him for a while. Then she looked over at him sharply as an impish idea came to her. _I can't not ask, he might not be tired enough to have his shields down again for a long time._ She thought resolutely as she turned to him and smiled.

"Ranma ... what about the other question Riko asked you the other day?" She asked softly. She could feel herself blushing, but she was curious.

"Which one?" He asked.

"You know, the _other_ one...?" She whispered.

He didn't say anything for a while, and she knew better than to press him. _I guess he's just going to pretend I didn't ask hi_ —

"I bought some cheap ones a long time ago after I fell into the spring. I don't know what they're called, it's all in Chinese. All of that stuff is one of the main reasons I try so hard to not change into a girl." He whispered.

She felt herself flush with pride that he was willing to share that with her. She was also flushing with embarrassment both for himself and her.

_Okay, you know what, bad idea, why the hell did I ask him that? What am I going to do with that information?_ She chided herself.

"Thank you for telling me. I won't tell anyone else, I promise." She said in a louder voice.

He nodded, then smiled. "My turn. Since you want to ask questions like that, I get to ask one of my own."

"Oh ... o-kay, sure. Go ahead." She said as she blushed furiously. _And now I pay the price. I hope he doesn't get TOO personal..._ she thought as the raciest questions she could think of about herself, and women in general, danced around in her mind and mortified her.

"Did ... did you ... did you ... last night... um... were you...?"

She stared at him for a moment as her mind went to absolute war with itself. She wanted, strongly, to make a joke in response. But, she also wanted to be annoyed with him that as blatant as she had been, he still hadn't understood what she wanted. She knew it would embarrass him, and even shame him, if she called that out though.

So she settled on the truth, with a bit of a tease. She smiled at him as seductively as she knew how. "Well, maybe I can be more clear what I wanted last night, tonight." She whispered to him softly.

He nodded hesitantly at her and looked away, and she sighed. _Patience girl, patience. Part of the reason he's so wonderful, is because he's so gentle. Let him come to you_. She coached herself. Because she had already decided she wanted to be with him, she was frustrated that he wouldn't take at least a co-leading role. But she had known going into a relationship with him, that he would have to be taught. She smiled softly at him.

_Having to be patient and having to teach him some stuff is a small price to pay for someone so wonderful_. She thought happily to herself.

"Does Riko know?" He asked unexpectedly.

"Know what?" She asked, curiously at the topic change.

"About, you know ... everything."

She smiled at him and squeezed his hand reassuringly, and then tugged on his hand until he looked over at her. She could see he was blushing. That made her very happy. She shook her head once he was looking at her. "No, just like everyone else's secrets, our secrets are our secrets. Riko knows I am involved with you, but that's it. I won't give her details unless you tell me to, or I feel I need to share something with her for a necessary reason. In that case though, I would only share things about my part of our secrets. All right?" She asked.

He nodded. "I trust ya, Nabiki. I just wanted ta know, ya know..."

She smiled. She did know. He wanted to know how much Riko could tease him about, and also how much he should say when dealing with Riko. She made a mental note to ask Riko to dial down a bit. He had passed the trials, he didn't need to be on edge all the time around her friends. Just because they enjoyed constantly teasing each other, didn't mean that was the kind of relationship he had to have with them.

"I can control the girls, Ranma. Leave it to me." Was what she said out loud with a smile to reassure him.

"They love you, you know?" Ranma said softly in reply, again without looking at her.

"I ... I know." She whispered back after her own moments of silence. She breathed in the cool morning air which was scented with the water smell from the canal they were walking next to, and tried to sort out her feelings for her best friends from everything else that was going on. She didn't know why things in life seemed to always come in waves, but they did.

"What did you do for them?" He asked.

She smiled as she replied. It was funny to her that he was trying to get information out of her after she had just reminded him that she kept private information private. "I can't tell you, Ranma. It's their private business. I told you that last night. Favors I do for people are absolutely secret. Only they can tell you about it." She said firmly.

He didn't say anything to that, he just nodded.

She added, after a moment's silence, a little more of an explanation. "What I can tell you though, is that in between making money and having fun, I have tried to do, for some people, what couldn't be done for me. I have the power to help people if I choose to. I won't just help anyone, especially not for free, but with people like Riko, Nanami, Chihiro, and Yui, I was happy to help. I was happy to set things right for them."

Ranma looked at her quietly for a while before he responded. When he did, it was a single word. "Why?"

She smiled at him. "What's the point of money and power, if you don't use it for something worthwhile every now and then?" She said cryptically. They were dancing on the edge of things she didn't even talk to herself about.

_But I owe him this much at least. Ranma should know me better. Daddy and Doctor Tofu still know me better than he does. If we're going to be together, that has to change._ She vowed to herself as she felt something straining inside herself that she didn't understand.

Ranma nodded to that. He seemed to understand. She was happy about that. What she was showing him about herself was more or less who she was. She looked at him and her mind flashed forward to a possible life she could have with him.

_Aside from myself, I can offer him money and culture and my connections. I can give him a real adult relationship. I'm smart, and quick on my feet. I think I'm fun too, I mean, not lately, but in general I am. I can help him be less gullible. I can help him grow to be the man I know he will be. I can warn him if someone is trying to trick him out of the dojo or some other nonsense. I can help him adjust to the real world outside of the martial arts. He ... just ... has to pick me..._ she thought as a crushing wave of sadness and doubt welled up inside her. She pulled in a deep, shuddering breath as the pretty picture in her mind of her possible life with him broke apart under the pressure of the very real fears she had that he wouldn't pick her. She felt a pit of coldness building up inside her again.

She smiled shakily at him and tamped down on her emotions. _Now is not the time to drop all of this on him_. She reminded herself as she clenched her free hand momentarily into a fist and tried to steady herself.

She looked at him again and found him looking back at her with concern on his face. She smiled at him and couldn't help herself from examining him again as her possible future husband while they walked hand-in-hand to school as he kept her safe.

_He's a great companion. He's sincere, and fun, and he does think well on his feet when he has to. He's incredibly loyal, I can trust him. He'll keep me honest, he won't let me get too big of a head. He CARES about me. It could be perfect. I can go to university and then go into Finance afterward. He can go to university with me, and run the dojo on the side. Akane can stay and help run the dojo too, although I hope she goes to university too, she has a gift for math. The dojo... can just be something they do to stay in shape ... it isn't like we need the money. But if he wants to stay home and run the dojo, that's fine, I've never cared about traditional gender roles anyway._ She thought happily as she imagined her life together with him and looked at him with hopeful eyes.

She couldn't resist asking him about it. She wanted to know where he saw himself in the future. If he saw himself out on more training missions all the time, that would be a strong signal of his intentions.

"Ranma where do you see yourself after high school?" She asked tentatively, almost fearfully.

"What do ya mean?"

"What are you going to do?"

"Oh, well... I'll keep trainin', of course—"

"You could go to university, and..." She cut him off but trailed off herself. She was already worried about where the conversation was going.

He looked at her with unreadable eyes for a moment as they walked. Eventually, he sighed and responded to her. "But I don't want to go to university, Nabiki." He said confidently.

"But, Ranma—"

He held up his hand and interrupted her. "Lis'sen, I could go ta university, an' I could get a degree in somethin' ... but why would I?"

She looked at him quizzically. "So you can..." she trailed off. She actually didn't have a good answer for that.

"Education's important. I can't argue that. And you _should_ go to university, Nabiki. You have a lot to offer the world." He said calmly.

She shook her head emphatically. "I don't want to leave—"

"Who says ya have to leave? Go to the University in Tokyo, take the train there every day. You can stay at home. Nothin' will change." He said confidently.

"What about you? You have a lot to offer the world too." She challenged him with a frown on her face. Yet again her talks with him weren't going the way she has imagined them. Her comfortable little image of them going to university together, and cuddling on the lawn outside class, and studying together in the library were shattering in her mind as they spoke. It was taking all of her self control not to get angry with him for taking that away from her. The pit of cold inside her was melting under the sudden heat of the anger she was now holding back.

"I'm doing what I do best, what I have to offer the world." He said simply and softly, with a smile as he repeated her words back to her.

"What do you mean?" She asked, genuinely confused.

"How many times have I fought for you an' Akane an' Kasumi, an' other people?" He asked quietly.

"A lot." She replied. She looked down at her hands, embarrassed. It frustrated her that she owed him her life. It also shamed her that she had been growing angry with him for taking away an idle fantasy of hers that he hadn't even known about, when she did really owe him so much. She sighed, and nodded as she forced herself to let it go.

"Hey, no, it's not like that." He said kindly. She looked back up at him. "What I mean is, I'm able ta do that, because I've been trained ta do that. When I become a Master of the Art, and take over the dojo, I'll have students."

She nodded, not sure where he was going.

"I'll be able to train people ta protect themselves. They won't hafta live in fear. Can you imagine ... can you imagine ... a world where so many people were trained in the Art, that people weren't afraid anymore? If enough people trained... we could end wars, Nabiki. We could change the world." He said fiercely.

She looked into his eyes and saw utter conviction there. He knew damn well what he was doing. And he was right.

_Oh, I doubt he's going to bring about world peace. But, he's right about people living in fear. Even if he only trained enough people in our neighborhood to take the fear away, that would still be changing the world, just a smaller part of it_. She thought to herself as new fantasies sprang into her mind of her going to university while he changed the world for her. She knew damn well he wasn't doing it for her, but she enjoyed the idea of that anyway.

Her breath caught in her throat as she nodded and emotions crashed into her. It was a beautiful sentiment, it made her want to cry.

"I'm sorry, Ranma ... I ... I hadn't thought of it like that before. You're absolutely right, that is a lot to offer the world. I would love to see you do that."

He nodded and smiled at her. "You'll see it, I promise."

She perked up as something occurred to her she could ask him about that tied into what he wanted to do. _Mom knew the Art, but I never saw her fight. Was that reality, or my perception?_ She thought as she turned to him and smiled. "Ranma...?"

"Yeah?" He asked.

"Do you think my Mom could have been like you or Doctor Tofu?"

"What do ya mean?"

"Doctor Tofu can keep people away from him when he wants to. You can do it too, I saw you doing it on our date."

He looked away from her for a moment, and she could see him gathering his thoughts as his eyes continued to roam around them looking for threats. Eventually he looked back at her and sighed. "I don't know. I have no memory of ever meetin' your mom. But yeah, I guess, if she knew what she was doin' ... there are techniques that do what you're describin'..." He said softly.

She smiled at him in triumph. "So, you admit that you really were doing something to keep people away on our date?" She pressed him.

He looked away again, and nodded. She didn't understand why he was being so cagey. What was the big deal?

"What about you?" He asked, interrupting her musings.

She nodded as she understood what he was asking. "I'll train again. I've already decided that. But I don't want to train to become a master like you want to. I just want to be able to handle myself long enough to get away from someone attacking me."

He looked at her with surprise and a bit of disapproval on his face. She sighed and answered his unspoken question. "I don't like fighting."

"Why not?" He asked, clearly confused.

"I don't know how to really describe it to you. Um ... well, how comfortable did you feel in the restaurant last night?

"...not much." He admitted.

"Well, that's how I feel around you when you're fighting for real, and not just training or playing with Akane or Ryoga or something. It's scary."

He nodded his head. "I guess I can understand that." He said quietly.

"I studied the Art in the past, and I think I should pick it up again. But it still scares me, Ranma. I would rather be like Doctor Tofu is, and my Mother was, to have enough of a, I guess _presence_ is the word I would use ... I want to have enough of a presence that people just leave me alone."

"I ... I can understand that." He said hesitantly.

They walked in silence for a while after that. She chewed on her lip nervously as she tried to decide if she should ask her next question. She knew it was a valid question, but she also knew he wouldn't like it. She sighed and decided to do it anyway.

"Ranma...?" She began timidly.

He looked over at her and smiled, but didn't say anything. Then he went back to swiveling his head around as he continued to scan for danger.

"Ranma ... what about Happosai?" She asked quietly.

"What about him?" He replied in a neutral voice.

"He's the Master of the Anything Goes Style, isn't he?"

"Not to me he isn't." Ranma said with strong disgust in his voice.

"What do you mean?"

"Whaddaya mean what do I mean? You've seen 'im. He's a disgrace. I'd never admit that he has anythin' to do with our style, ta anyone!" He said vehemently.

_Well ... this is going about as well as I thought it would_. She thought bemused. Still, she felt the need to press on.

"Yeah, but Ranma, aside from the fact that he's a raging pervert, he's also better than you, and Daddy, and Shampoo's grandmother, isn't he?" She asked quietly.

"Sure, if nobody's wavin' a bra around, and there's no girls around for him ta fondle." Ranma said disgustedly.

"Okay, so if he's the head of the Order, and he's better than Shampoo's grandmother ... why don't we just ask him to deal with the Amazons?" She asked hopefully.

"No." Ranma said in a heated voice.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "No? Just no? Why not?" She asked with some heat creeping into her own voice.

"I told ya, he's a disgrace. I'd never ask him for anythin'!" Ranma said as he squeezed his hand into a fist and set his jaw firmly.

She sighed and continued to push him. They were talking about the safety of her family. Ranma's pride be damned, if Happosai could do something useful for once, she wasn't too proud to use him as a resource.

"Okay, so you won't ask him. What if I ask him?" She asked firmly.

He turned and looked at her with wide eyes and said nothing for a while. Eventually he went back to looking around for danger and took his eyes off her. "I don't know why you'd want to be anywhere near him, but sure, if you can find him, if you want to ask him, I can't stop ya." He said in a cold voice without looking at her. "Please ... tell me if you're gonna do it, though, so I can go with ya, okay?" He added

She sighed. "Why would you want to go with me?"

"So I can kill him if he touches you." Ranma growled.

"You hate him that much?" She asked, incredulous.

"Yes." He said simply.

"He's mostly harmless. The underwear thing is obnoxious but no big deal. And yeah he's a little too grabby ... but lots of guys are like that." She said in a neutral voice. She didn't approve of it, but it wasn't uncommon for guys to touch inappropriately. Nobody was dumb enough to do it to her, but she knew it happened. Happosai was a symptom of a much larger problem.

Ranma looked at her again, and she saw in his eyes the fire of hatred burning. She sighed and dropped it. _He's right, involving the old man would probably be more trouble than it was worth._ She thought dejectedly.

_Well, since I already have him annoyed, I might as well go for broke_. She thought with determination.

"Ranma?" She asked him softly.

He looked at her with annoyance on his face. But his eyes were still the eyes of her Ranma, her friend, the person she trusted. She was adult enough to know that love could exist between two people, even if they disagreed or fought from time to time.

"Yeah?" He replied as he went back to scanning for danger.

"Shampoo and Ukyo have been ... talked to ... did you ... want me to help you talk to Kodachi too?" She asked. It was kind of a weird position to be in. Kodachi, unlike the rest of the girls, had no real claim on him. But she knew his sense of honor might hold him to some sort of formal action anyway.

"No." He said in a cold voice.

She raised an eyebrow. "You sure? I can think of all sorts of fun ways to tell her to go away." She said with a smile as she tried to lighten the mood.

"I ain't talkin' to her again unless I have to." He said coldly.

"What do you—"

"I mean, she's never been anythin' other than a crazy problem. I've never dated her, and I don't wanna go talk to her." He said softly.

She nodded. She understood his frustration. She also had a sneaking suspicion that he was also still angry about Kodachi's recent actions against himself, and her. 

She sighed as she gathered her courage. When she was ready she took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she spoke the words she had been dreading.

"So that just leaves Akane then. Are you ready to talk to her?" She asked with a catch in her voice as the image of the two of them standing together quietly talking in the early morning flashed through her mind.

He didn't answer for a while. As the silence built, her nervousness grew as well. She felt it inside herself like a lead ball weighing her down in her stomach. He finally answered with two words that didn't raise her confidence level.

"I guess." He said quietly. Then he asked a question she had not been expecting. "What's your plan?"

She looked at him blankly for a moment, then looked away and set her face in a nonchalant mask as she answered. "That's top secret information, Ranma. You'll find out when you need to know." She lied. She sneaked a glance over at him and found him looking at her dubiously before he gave up and went back to scanning for danger.

_Plan for Akane ... Plan for Akane ... I don't have one. I wish I had one, but I don't_. She said to herself. She knew she was running out of time. Her part of the promise had been to help him find a way to break things off with the rest of the girls. Akane was the last one. Technically things were already broken off with them, but she knew damn well it wasn't that simple for Akane and him. She decided to turn it back around on him for now and put a small, confident smile on her face that turned up at one corner as she winked at him.

"I'll tell you the plan when you tell me when you want to talk to her." She said as confidently as she could. She was playing with fire, and she knew it, if he called her bluff then—

"How ... how about tomorrow after dinner?" He said unexpectedly.

She looked over at him in shock. She knew her mouth was hanging open for a moment before she regained control and shut it.

_Well ... crap. I wasn't expecting him to be ready to set a time_. She decided to push him a little and see how committed to it he was.

"Are you sure? Once we talk to her, there'll be no going back. Things might change at home." She said softly.

He looked over at her and locked eyes with her for a moment, and she saw absolute terror in his eyes. She sighed and stepped closer to him as they walked and let go of his hand so she could shift to hugging him from the side.

They walked that way for a while before she had her thoughts gathered enough to speak again. "Why is this so difficult for you? What's wrong?" She whispered to him.

He looked over at her, and opened his mouth, but no sound came out. They looked at each other for several moments awkwardly before he gave up and looked away. She sighed and tried again.

"If you're ready to talk to Akane, then you're ready to make your choice, right?" She asked.

He shrugged then nodded. She scowled at that. She knew he wasn't playing with her emotions, but his body language was setting off the alarms she usually used when people were being insincere with her. She knew with him, though, that it wasn't insincerity, it was indecision.

"Why are you so afraid of this?" She whispered to him. "You were able to get through talking to Ukyo..." She trailed off as he looked over at her with anguished eyes.

_Wow ... still? If he still feels that bad about Ukyo ... wow ... what can I possibly do to help him break things off with Akane to make it easier? There isn't anything Akane wants like Ukyo did. I can't divert her. The only thing I could possibly do to make it easy for him to walk away, is make her hate him..._ She thought as a cold chill ran down her spine. She knew making Akane hate him would work, but it was also the one aspect of her assistance in breaking things off with the rest of the girls she has specifically told him she would help him prevent.

She tried to lighten the suddenly heavy mood with a joke as her mind worked furiously for a way out of the situation she found herself in. "Well ... you could always just lose a duel to Ryoga or something with Akane as the stakes..." She trailed off as he skewered her with a disapproving glare for a moment.

"I don't lose. Ever. I refuse to lose. I never lose." He said in a low, almost angry tone. She knew he wasn't angry with her. It was more like he was reciting something that had been drilled into him, and resented that it was a part of himself.

_That's ... a problem, though ... he doesn't lose. Letting go of the girls is a form of losing, I suppose. I wonder if he's strong enough to lose Akane? Losing Ukyo was hard enough for him, and he thought of her as a good friend. With Akane, he won her heart. I know he knows that. If he lets her go, for good, he will be losing her heart. Can he do that? Can he lose on purpose for something that important?_ She looked at him with worry in her heart.

She didn't have any answers for that, and she was afraid to ask him. She also knew he was afraid. She didn't know what, exactly, he was afraid of, but she had a feeling it had a lot to do with being alone on the road, without his mother, and only his horrible father, for ten years.

_And now he's living in our home, surrounded by women who are nice to him, well mostly, and ... we feed him, and pay attention to him too. He must just absolutely love that. And he knows that Akane and I both care about him, and want to be with him. That has to be an ego booster for him as well as very comforting after growing up without his mother... without his ... mother..._ She thought to herself as various ideas swirled around in her mind about him and his fear of women and his obvious fear of loneliness.

"See you today at lunch?" He interrupted her thoughts.

She looked over at him in surprise, and then around at her surroundings with wide eyes. They had arrived at the door to her classroom. She hadn't even been aware that they had reached the school or entered the building. Riko was staring at her intently from inside the classroom. She waved to her friend absently as she turned back to Ranma.

_This is dangerous. I am completely losing focus._ She thought uneasily as she stared into his eyes and smiled nervously. _It's dangerous ... but I don't see any way I can possibly stop now_. She thought.

"Of course, Ranma. Pick me up here okay?" She asked him softly.

He nodded and leaned in to hug her without her even having to nudge him. She sank into the heat of his body happily, and greedily luxuriated in his warmth.

_This is dangerous ... and I don't care_. She thought happily.


	48. You Aren't Fooling Me

[soundtrack for this one: _Umbrella,_ by **Marié Digby** ] 

Nabiki sat through class and tried to pay attention, but it was a losing battle. Her ability to focus was completely gone. She felt like squirming in her seat. It was a burning, uncomfortable feeling, like how it felt when she was laying awake in bed after drinking caffeine too late at night, and not being able to sleep even though she was tired.

She didn't think she would regain her ability to pay attention until the situation with Ranma was resolved one way or another. She spent a lot of time in class looking over at the door and hoping to see Ranma standing there, even though she knew that was ridiculous. Her friends passed her notes that ranged from the silly random nonsense they always said to each other, to more serious things such as, "you seem distracted, you all right?" The only answer she gave any of the notes was to turn and smile at whomever sent it. Of all of her friends, only Riko didn't smile back. Riko was watching her with a worried frown on her face.

She sighed but shrugged internally. She knew what Riko was worried about, but there wasn't anything she could do about it. She wasn't willing to walk away from Ranma now, but she also wasn't willing to go any further with her efforts to pursue him, either. She was stuck until he made a decision.

When the bell rang for lunch she packed up her stuff quickly and stood next to her desk with her bag already slung over her shoulder. Yui, and Nanami joined her and chatted with her on their way out of the room. Chihiro had already left in a rush to attend yet another club meeting. Riko stood off a bit and just watched her. Riko had worried eyes. She smiled for Riko's benefit as she chatted with Yui and Nanami.

For the most part she kept her eyes on the door and waited for Ranma. Yui and Nanami excused themselves a few moments later as they left for their usual meeting spot. Riko hung back and waited with her for Ranma. She knew that was what Riko was doing, even though her friend didn't mention it. As Yui and Nanami left, Riko stepped over and took up the conversation with her smoothly, like it had been a planned changeover. They talked about anything and nothing. The only thing they didn't talk about was the subject both of them were worried about.

She kept her eyes on the door, but did her best to laugh and joke with Riko to try to reassure her friend that she was still the same person inside, and that there was no cause for worry. She could tell that Riko wasn't buying it though.

A moment later her efforts to reassure Riko had to be put on hold, because Ranma was now standing in the doorway. It was somewhat amusing to her that even bigger guys in her own class either scooted carefully around him to get through the doorway, or stood back and waited for him to clear the doorway. It was almost unheard of for upperclassmen to defer to younger guys ... but Ranma ... was no ordinary guy. He might have been younger, but his presence was raw and intimidating. He had the kind of eyes that could stop a charging bull at a thousand meters. Those same eyes could also make her weak in the knees when he smiled at her.

Riko picked up on his entrance without even turning around. She knew that her friend could tell he had arrived simply by her own body language changes. She was aware that he had that affect on her, but she was well past the point of caring.

Riko smiled at her and stopped trying to chat. Instead her friend laid a warm hand gently on her forearm and squeezed gently for a moment, before stepping back and winking at her. Riko then spun on her heel and marched to the doorway, straight at Ranma.

Unlike the guys, none of the girls in the school were afraid of Ranma, unless they believed some of the nastier rumors about him. But none of the girls who actually knew him, were afraid of him. He had proven time and time again that he was kind and gentle when it came to women.

Riko marched right up to him with a brisk gait, and made him dodge out of her way. Just as Riko was passing him, her friend paused and leaned in to him and whispered something in his ear as she continued on her way out the door. Riko also decided to tease him by trailing her hand lazily across his cheek in a seductive and sensual way.

The guys in their class gazed at the display with open jealousy while most of the girls in her class either rolled their eyes at Riko's antics or glared at what they considered to be improper behavior. Riko, of course, thrived on all of it. She couldn't help but smile as Riko left with her usual trailing stares of lust, admiration, jealousy and disapproval. Her friend was one of a kind.

Ranma stepped back into the doorway and smiled at her somewhat nervously. It amused her that Riko was still able to unsettle him so much. She smiled back at him as she walked to him as quickly as her dignity would allow. As soon as she reached him she sank into a hug and buried her face into his warm and silky chest and breathed him in deeply.

He smelled like his usual flowery-cedar scent, and she could smell the laundry soap on his clothing, but there was also a very faint hint of stale sweat as well. He had been working hard fighting to protect her and her family last night, and clearly hadn't gotten a chance to shower in the morning. The smell didn't repulse her though, if anything it attracted her to him more. She didn't know why, but it did.

He held her and allowed her to hug him without pulling her off. She didn't know if he was just getting more used to public displays of affection, or if he just didn't care what people in her class thought about anything.

 _It's probably a bit of both,_ she thought as she reluctantly slid back out of his arms and smiled at him shakily.

"Ready to go to lunch?" He asked in his usual calm voice.

She nodded in response and fell into step with him as he turned to walk out of the doorway with her. It amused her to watch the guys pour out of the doorway, as soon as he cleared it, and sprint off towards wherever they had to be. She knew it was somewhat childish, but it was fun being with a guy who so casually intimidated other guys.

They made their way out towards the sports fields and their tree. She walked hand-in-hand with him and tried to focus on the life she could have with him. She knew there were some fairly major problems with their relationship being able to work long-term, not the least of which was people were attacking her for being together with him, but she wasn't willing to give him up.

 _They'll have to try a lot harder than they have been._ She promised herself.

Ranma spent most of their walk talking to her about what they were covering in his class, and various pieces of gossip about various people in his class she didn't even know. Strangely though, she found herself riveted to what he was saying, and ignoring everything else. The background shouts of people in the school and those around her became a dim murmur as she focused on him, and held on to his warm hand. She had a weird feeling like she needed to hold on to him for some reason.

_Not that he'd leave me. He promised..._

_...he promised..._

She thought idly as they reached their tree and she shook the dark thoughts out of her mind.

Ranma walked them right up to the group this time. He didn't pause on the outer rim anymore and wait to be waved in. Yui and Nanami waved to him and greeted him enthusiastically. But Riko ... Riko was leaning against the tree and staring at her while frowning.

Her oldest friend in the world had her lips pressed together in a thin line, and had drawn her eyebrows down into a facial expression that was half worry, and half a downright glare.

She returned Riko's stare for a moment and put a little weight of her own into her eyes. She would _not_ have Riko scaring Ranma away! Riko blinked and nodded, and before her eyes her friend brought up one of her many masks, and transformed into the laughing and joking Riko that most people knew. She could still see in Riko's eyes an uneasiness though. And her friend kept darting her eyes over to her every now and then, almost like Riko was watching for something.

She sighed and winked at Riko as she led Ranma over to the bench and sat down with him. She would have to sort things out with Riko soon. It wouldn't do for Riko to stay worried. Riko was ... unpredictable ... when worried.

"So, what are we all talking about?" She asked as she opened her lunch and began to eat next to Ranma on the bench. Ranma watched everything, but was keeping to himself for the moment. Not that that surprised her. When food was available, that tended to be his highest priority.

"Oh ... I am not even sure how to describe it." Yui said with exasperation in her voice.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Riko's got ... plans..." Nanami said with a wide grin.

"What sort of plans?" She asked with a smile.

"Well, they're about ... hmm ... I don't know how to—"

"They're about my ascendancy to divinity." Riko interrupted Yui with a wolfish grin.

"Yeah ... that." Yui said as she rolled her eyes.

"Your ascendancy to divinity?" She repeated.

"Yup."

"Going to become a Goddess again?" She asked with a wink.

"Again?" Nanami asked with a blink of surprise.

"Oh yeah, she rises to godhood every four years or so." She said with a smile as she finished up her lunch and sipped on her water bottle.

"I see, and just why would she need to ascend to the divine more than once?" Nanami asked with a laugh.

"Oh ... well ... there've been ... incidents." She said with a laugh.

"Now THAT, I believe!" Yui chimed in with a fist raised to the heavens.

"Hey! There were extenuating circumstances! I was innocent!" Riko protested.

"And yet, here you are, planning your ascendancy again, instead of, you know, just being a Goddess." Yui taunted happily.

"Look, sometimes the Gods just get a little bit too uptight, okay? How was I supposed to know about the red door? It could have happened to anyone!" Riko protested with a sulky expression on her face.

"Red door?" Nanami asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't ask." She said with a lazy smile pulling up a corner of her mouth.

"Right, well, anyway, what sort of powers will you have as a Goddess, Riko?" Yui asked.

"That's Riko-Sama to you, mortal." Riko said haughtily.

"Yes, pardon me, Riko-Sama, your grace, um ... what powers will you have? Oh, and also, you have seaweed stuck in your teeth, m'lady." Yui chirped happily.

Riko glared at Yui for a few beats before closing her mouth and making loud, and decidedly unlady-like, not to mention un-Goddess-like, sucking noises to clear her teeth. With that done, Riko cleared her throat and started listing powers like she was rattling off a shopping list.

"Well, I'll be omnipotent, of course. And I'll fly. And I'll be immortal, obviously. And able to read minds, and be invisible. That last one makes it super easy to spy on my little Nanami in the locker room." Riko said with a wink.

"Um ... Riko—" Nanami began with a confused look on her face.

"Riko-Sama." Riko corrected.

"Right, Riko-Sama, um ... you're a girl ... nobody would stop you from going into the locker room." Nanami said with exasperation and a rising blush on her neck that was creeping up to her cheeks.

Riko winked at Nanami and leaned in closer to her. "Yeah, but I get to stare when I'm invisible." Riko whispered conspiratorially.

Nanami blushed and looked away shyly. "Oh, you're such a pervert, Riko!"

"Riko, you're burying the needle on my creepy-meter again." Yui said with exasperation while burying her face in her hands. "I can't even look at you right now." Yui mumbled through her hands.

"Only for you, my Crimson-Goddess. I ascend to the divine for you, my love!" Riko said dreamily as she stared at Nanami and sucked on her lower lip in a display that was surely meant to be seductive.

Yui looked up and rolled her eyes. "I think Nanami already lets you be her special friend, Riko, sorry, Riko-Sama..." Yui hastily corrected herself as Riko glared, "But that seems like a lot of powers. Are you sure you aren't exaggerating a bit?"

Riko sighed. "Yui, my love, I am the Alpha and the Omega of the divine. Look to me for Enlightenment and Rebirth. Only through me, will you find your salvation." Riko said in a low, serious voice.

"Well, so long as she isn't worshiping at Nanami's alter at the time." She said with a smirk.

"Hey!" Riko said indignantly.

"Yeah, seriously, who'd worship such a fickle Goddess?" Yui asked with a grin.

"Don't make me slap you, mortal." Riko growled.

"So ... you're a wrathful Goddess?" Yui asked.

"C'mon Riko, play nice." Nanami purred.

"Fiiiiine, no slapping, but I might pull out an eyelash." Riko said sulkily.

"Oh, ow! No! I'd rather take the slap!" Yui said while scooting back away from Riko.

Riko responded to that by raising her hands and flexing them towards Yui like they were claws. "Put your money in the bowl for your Riko-Sama, Yui, or beware my wrath."

Yui playacted at cowering behind Nanami while sticking her tongue out at Riko.

While that was going on Nabiki leaned in to Ranma and whispered to him. "You okay?"

He smiled at her and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"They're not too much for you?" She asked.

"Nah, it's fine. I'm ... sorta used to them now." He said.

"Okay." She said as she leaned into him more and cuddled with him. She wanted him to relax and have fun. Not that it was hard to have fun when around her friends.

She smiled as she watched her friends' antics. Riko and Yui's play-fight had progressed to Riko lunging at Yui who was using Nanami as a shield. Although Riko was doing more pawing at Nanami than she was making any real effort to get to Yui. Nanami seemed to be enjoying the attention.

She decided to pull the girls back into warring with words and called out to Riko in a happy voice. "Hey, Riko-Sama, I heard Kuno say he might ask you out, do you think he caught wind of your ascendancy?" She plastered an innocent look on her face as Riko's head whipped around like a hunting tiger catching sight of new prey. Riko's eyebrows came together, and a frown pressed her mouth downward.

"What?! No! I think I just threw up in my mouth a little!" Riko said with a look of disgust on her face as her friend pantomimed dry-heaving.

"Oh come on, it could be interesting. He's rich you know." Yui piled on.

"Seriously? He wants to go out with me? I knew it might come to this some day." Riko said with an exaggerated sigh as she retreated from Nanami and Yui and walked back over towards the bench. "I can see no other way out of this ... we're going to have to hang him." Riko said as she sat down next to the bench with a determined look on her face.

"Really? You're going to kill Kuno?" She asked, amused.

"No ... just test his reflexes." Riko said in a deadpan as she made snapping motions with her hands with a silly, childish expression on her face, like a kid playing with a favorite toy.

"Seriously?" Yui asked with a slow smile creeping up her face as she sat down next to Riko and began playing with Riko's hair. All signs of their little Goddess play-fight already gone.

"It would be a kindness, Yui. I would be setting him free." Riko continued still in her deadpan.

"Is she always this ... murdery ...?" Nanami asked sweetly with a raised eyebrow as she walked over and joined the group.

"She gets worse when you're not around." Yui said tiredly.

"True story." She joined in with a wink.

"Aww, that's sweet." Nanami said in a saccharine voice as she leaned over to Riko and pulled her into a hug. Riko leaned back away from Nanami and eyed the red-head suspiciously. 

"You're not just saying that to try to get into my pants, are you?" Riko asked with a frown.

"Mmmm ... you're not wearing pants, silly." Nanami purred as she slid her hands down Riko's waist to rest on her friend's hips.

Yui grinned in approval. The general consensus was that everyone preferred Riko lusting after Nanami over planning murders, even jokingly.

"So ... does this mean you'd consider going out with Kuno?" She had to ask. Yui and Nanami both looked over at her in shock. There was diverting Riko, and then there was deliberately riling her up, and Yui and Nanami could tell she was riling Riko up. Riko tore her eyes off Nanami and stared back at her with an incredulous look in her eyes.

"I cannot stress this enough, I need you to not be stupid today." Riko growled.

She shrugged. "I was just curious." She said with an impish grin.

"Well, as much as I want to hear what Riko is going to do about this, I have to go, but Riko ... try not to kill anyone until I get back, 'kay?" Nanami asked as she stood up and started to step back from Riko. 

"Okay I'll try, but no promises." Riko said as she stood up with Nanami and tried to hang on to the red-headed girl. But eventually they separated so that they were only holding on to each other's arms, then hands, then fingertips, then Nanami was floating backwards softly away from Riko with her hands clasped over her heart.

"Meet me after school, Riko. We can have a proper cuddle then, all right?" Nanami asked.

Riko nodded vigorously. "In the name of my Crimson Goddess, thy will be done!" Riko promised while blowing goodbye kisses.

"And you don't need to worry about Kuno, Riko. Everyone knows he's in love with Akane, and Ranma, depending on how the wind is blowing that day." Yui said with a wink towards Ranma.

Ranma made gagging motions.

"Aww, come on, it's kinda sweet, isn't it?" Yui asked.

"If by sweet, you mean sad, sure." Riko piped up.

"He's kind of a hopeless romantic. I mean ... he's terrible at it, and kind of creepy, okay _super_ creepy, but ... it's still kind of sweet ... in a way." Yui said defensively.

"Yeah, no, sticking with sad." Riko said as she stuck out her tongue.

Nabiki looked over at Ranma and smiled at him, then smiled wider as she caught him sneaking a look at her again. Her heart swelled up and ached that he was still doing that. After everything that had been happening, and after having to fight for her all night, he was still sneaking looks at her.

A thought occurred to her then, and she couldn't not ask. She smiled and leaned in to him and whispered to him. "Ranma ... how come I never see you sneaking looks at Akane?" She was genuinely curious.

He looked away from a moment, and she thought he was going to refuse to answer. She sighed and got ready to lean back away from him, when he finally answered in a very quiet whisper.

"I used to..." He said in a voice she couldn't read.

She leaned back away from him, and smiled as she reached for his hand and squeezed it softly. He glanced at her quickly and smiled back before he went back to sweeping his eyes around for danger while watching her friends as much as he could. They were currently in the middle of planning what to do after school.

"We should go out to eat tonight." Yui said.

"I think this is an excellent idea, and would like to subscribe to your newsletter." Riko said with an easy smile.

"I'm thinking sushi." Yui said.

"Oh, Yui, my poor deluded soul, you just lost a subscriber." Riko said.

"Wait, what?" Yui asked, confused.

"Sushi me no likey." Riko said with a shrug and a grimace on her face.

"My god, woman! Were you born with a broken sense of taste or something?" Yui asked incredulously.

Riko grinned and shook her head. "No my dear, it is you who have a lack of a refined palate. Sushi is a crime against food. It should be banned." Riko declared haughtily.

"Are ... are you serious? You know what country you live in, right?" Nabiki said as she couldn't hold back any longer from joining in.

Riko stuck her tongue out at both of them. "Sushi is an abomination, and should be banished. When I'm elected Empress, I'm going to ban it." Riko said with a smile.

"You're impossible. I'd keep that to yourself if I were you. There are a LOT of companies involved with the production and sale of sushi, you know. You could be eliminating a large number of future employers with your opinion, you know." Yui said with exasperation.

Riko shrugged. "They won't be in business anymore anyway, when I ban their filthy abominations." Riko said with a determined frown on her face.

Yui sighed. "Fiiiiiine, well, what do you want to have instead?"

"Pizza." Riko said with a smile and a smack of her lips.

"Pizza." Yui repeated in an unamused voice.

"Yup."

"So, you don't want to go have a wonderful food native to your homeland, that is prized by all of your normal countrymen. And, instead, you want to go have a greasy, fattening, smelly Western food that's cheap and mass produced?" Yui asked incredulously.

"Yup." Riko said with a wink.

"You know ... I have seen you eat sushi in the past." Yui said slowly, with determination.

"Lies! Lies crafted by the sushi industry! I see they've gotten to you too. They're everywhere." Riko said with haunted eyes as she turned to face Nabiki.

Nabiki rolled her eyes and shared a knowing glance with Yui. Neither one of them knew what Riko's angle was, but both of them recognized it for what it was. Riko was just pushing their buttons.

"Fine, but if you pick the food, then I get to pick the activity." Yui said with a gleam in her eye.

"What ... activity?" Riko asked suspiciously.

"We're going to go dancing, Riko."

"Nope."

"C'mon, I don't have anyone to go with." Yui's voice changed to a plaintive tone.

"Take Nabiki."

"Kinda busy these days." Nabiki said.

"Well, then take Ranma."

Ranma looked at them with panic in his eyes, and shook his head as he looked at Nabiki and they shared a knowing look. She smiled at him reassuringly.

Yui turned her attention back to Riko in a huff. "Riko! This _has to_ happen! The club is only going to be open for a few more days! It's _the_ event of our generation! Besides, you're picking the food, so I get to pick the activity. It's only fair!" Yui continued to press.

"Don't caaaaaare." Riko replied in a sing-song voice.

"This must happen! I will disgrace my family if I don't go!" Yui whined.

"Then go by yourself."

"I'm just one little girl alone in a sea of perverts, Riko. I need you there to protect me. It'll give you a chance to use your Goddess powers." Yui suggested hopefully.

"I would rather be stripped naked at the top of Tokyo Tower and painted neon green, live on TV, then get dropped into a locked room with Kuno, than go dancing in a club."

"You're being ridiculous. My family will never forgive you if I disgrace them because you refused to take me."

Riko sighed theatrically. "Apparently I have to spell it out for you. Think of it like this. Imagine me as regular matter. Now imagine dancing in public as antimatter. It is a line never to be crossed, Yui. It could destroy everything we hold dear! It could destroy the universe! If that line is crossed..." Riko trailed off dramatically as she made blowing up motions with her hands, and mouthed an explosion sound effect in slow motion while maintaining sullen eye contact with Yui.

Yui stared at Riko with squinted eyes and an unhappy frown.

"SERIOUSLY?! It's just dancing! I know you dance, you've even done it it my room."

"I dance in private with my friends. I do not dance in public. Ever."

"But—"

"Listen, Yu-chan, my poor deluded little dear ... some of us have ... problems... with certain things ... you are just going to have to accept this about me."

"C'mon! I'll buy you dinner first! It'll be a proper date and everything, I'll even let you get to second base with me if you want!" Yui whined in a tone that was approaching begging.

"Yui, my love, I admire your tenacity, I do ... even when staring into the gaping maw of the absolute death and destruction of your idea, you press on, that's adorable, even admirable. You do your Samurai ancestors proud. But Yu-chan, my sweet child, you are never going to convince me to go dancing in public. Ever. My no-public-dancing rule is carved in stone. And that stone is in a locked box, inside another locked box, in orbit. It cannot be changed. I don't enjoy stomping all over your dreams, but in this case, it's necessary. No dancing in public ... ever." Riko said as she pivoted her body smoothly and shifted to look at something.

"Hey Ranma?" Riko said in a breezy tone as her eyes tracked something. It was clear Riko was changing topics. It was also clear there was a note of concern in Riko's voice.

Yui looked where Riko was looking, and scowled. "This isn't over!" Yui hissed as Riko smiled and winked knowingly while Yui rose to her feet.

Ranma looked over at Riko and raised his eyebrows. "Yeah?"

"I think Akane is on her way over here ... you want us to stop her?" Riko asked, still maintaining her breezy tone, but with a bit of an edge in it. Riko could be just as ruthless as she was. Yui was already moving into position to intercept Akane.

She smiled as she watched Ranma process what her friends had already acted on. It was probably amazing to Ranma how efficiently her lieutenants communicated with each other, and executed plans without even speaking about them. She was very proud of them.

Ranma sat up straight and craned his neck to look where Riko was looking. Sure enough, Akane was on her way over to them. He looked back to her, and she shrugged. Akane was her sister, she didn't really care if Akane came to visit or not. She certainly wasn't going to shut Akane out. If Ranma wanted to avoid Akane though, she would actually be kind of happy about that.

Ranma looked back over at Riko. "Why ... would you ... stop Akane? What's she done?" He asked in a confused tone.

Riko looked back over at him and smiled as she shrugged. "Nothing. She hasn't done anything. I actually like Akane."

"Then why..." Ranma trailed off in confusion.

"Because you're one of us now, and we protect each other." Riko said simply.

Ranma nodded slowly at that and smiled nervously. "I ... don't need anyone to protect me, especially from Akane ... but thanks, though." He said.

Riko winked at him. "You say that now, but just wait, we've had to protect other guys before from women's wrath."

"True story, remember when Miko was after Chihiro over Sora? Yikes. I think Nanami actually has scars from the scratching from that one. Well ... more scars than the ones Riko gives her anyway." Yui said with a laugh and she walked back to the group and stood down from readying to intercept Akane.

Riko whipped her head around in a flutter of hair and glared at Yui in mock-anger. "You like living dangerously, don't you." Riko growled at Yui.

Yui scowled back at Riko in defiance. "What? You brag about your cuddle conquests all the time."

"I am going to have to boot you off this ship if you can't behave. Next time you come around you might find a little sign with your name on it that says, _permission to come aboard, denied_!" Riko hissed with a smile on her face.

"Permission to deny, denied. You don't outrank me, oh delusional one."

"Oh! An insult! This is war! I'll have you know I outrank you across the board."

"True story, you rank the highest in the delusional power trip category."

"You're just jealous because my Nanami cuddles with me."

"I could get Nanami to cuddle with me if I wanted to."

"Now who's delusional?"

Nabiki tuned them out as they devolved into their usual antics with the histrionics reaching astronomical heights. Ranma's head was bouncing back and forth between the two of them almost comically, like he was watching a tennis match. She smiled and reached over and grasped his chin loosely and pulled his attention back to her.

"Shouldn't we—"

"They're just playing, Ranma." She said with a smile.

"Oh..." He said as his eyes darted over to them again, then back to her. "It doesn't seem like they're playin'..." He said with disbelief in his voice.

She sighed and smiled then let go of his chin and clapped her hands once. Riko and Yui paused and looked over at her. She nodded at Ranma and rolled her eyes. "All right, that's enough. You're freaking Ranma out. Kiss and make up." She said in a sing-song voice.

Riko and Yui both grinned and lunged for each other and playacted making out. Ranma's eyebrows were threating to climb off his face again.

She would have said more, but Akane had finally reached them. Her little sister paused at the imaginary boundary around their group and waited for someone to wave her in.

She smiled and obliged her sister and waved her over. Akane nodded and walked over to where she and Ranma were sitting. Even though Akane was present, she didn't feel the need to stop leaning on Ranma though. She could feel him tense up under her though, but he didn't try to pretend he wasn't sitting with her. Not that it was that big of a deal, it wasn't like they were making out or anything.

Akane walked right past Yui and Riko who were only now winding down from their playacting. Akane was far more used to her friends than Ranma was.

Akane paused in front of their bench and looked at her with Ranma for a moment with eyes she could tell were both sad, but determined. She knew that Akane hadn't given up yet.

Akane put a small smile on her face and nodded to her, then addressed Ranma. "A lady from the principal's office sent me to come get you." Akane said quietly.

"Really? For what?" Ranma asked.

Akane shrugged. "I don't know. She just stopped me in the hall and told me to come get you."

"Do ya think it can wait until after lunch?" He asked.

Akane shook her head. "They told me to tell you to come right away."

He sighed, but nodded. "Fine." He said as he stood up and turned to her. "Want to go on a walk to the principal's office with me?" He asked.

"I can stay with her." Akane jumped in, almost eagerly.

She raised an eyebrow at her younger sister before she answered him. "Sure, Ranma, I can come with you."

"If he goes alone, he can go and come back much faster, can't he?" Yui asked innocently.

She sighed and nodded. Yui didn't know about the subtle power play going on at the moment. She made a note to herself to inform her friends about the delicate situation with Akane.

"Yeeees, I guess so." She said carefully. "But, Ranma needs to stay with me for other reasons."

"It's fine, Nabiki, I can stay with you. Maybe we can ... talk?" Akane asked quietly.

 _Oh, so that's her angle. She wants to get me alone to talk. All right, fine I guess._ She thought as she nodded at Ranma. "Go ahead Ranma, it'll be fine for a few minutes for you to run there and back."

He nodded and stood up.

Akane stepped closer to him and smiled. "I don't know what's going on, but the lady from the office told me to take you to that building over there, and she would take you to the principal. He's probably doing something weird again." Akane said with exasperation in her voice.

Alarm bells went off in her mind as Akane said that, but she knew that Akane would not deliberately put her in danger just to get a minute alone with Ranma.

Ranma looked down at her, still seated at the bench, and she could see in his eyes that he was uneasy as well. "I'll be ... right back ... okay?" He said reluctantly.

"And I'll run right back even faster. Back in a second." Akane said as she tugged on Ranma's arm, and they ran towards the second building from the left. Ranma looked back once at her with worry in his eyes, and she met his eyes with her own worried eyes as she stood up to watch him leave.

Then she felt a hand on her shoulder pulling her backwards. She tensed up for a moment before she realized it was Riko. Her friend pulled her into a hug and just held her for a moment. Then Riko whispered into her ear. "You feeling all right?"

She shrugged and didn't respond. She wasn't feeling all right, but she didn't want to get into it right now, so she nodded.

"You sure? You don't seem like you're feeling all right..." Riko prodded her.

"I ... don't know... I can't remember ever feeling like this before." She replied in her own whisper without lifting her head from Riko's shoulder.

"I can." Riko said confidently. She could tell without looking that Riko was smirking.

"Really? When?" She asked, slightly irritated.

"It was back in second grade, when you had that giant crush on Kin Maeda." Riko said quietly.

Her mind flashed back to second grade and the boy who's name triggered the memory of her mother talking to her about boys. Kin ... Kin Maeda. That had been the random boy she'd told Mom about. She shook her head softly, but firmly. "No, not like that. This ... is much more serious." She said.

"No it isn't. You're acting the same as you did when you had that crush on Kin." Riko said lightly. She could tell Riko was trying to be gentle about it, but at the same time that her friend was trying to steer her towards something.

"If ... if you say so, Riko. I don't really remember it very well."

"I do. You were super into him for like a week, and couldn't think about or talk about anything other than him. Then, just like that, it went away, and you never mentioned him again." Riko said with a snap of her fingers.

She sighed. She was fairly certain Mom had gotten sick right around that time, but she didn't feel like arguing with Riko about it. "All right, well, so what? I had a crush on a boy when I was younger, and it went away. So? Ranma isn't Kin." She protested.

"Oh, Ranma absolutely _is_ Kin. You just don't see it yet. But you're losing yourself in him, just like you did with Kin back then. I know you, Kiki. You give yourself totally to things you commit to. I can tell you've committed to him in your mind. You need to pull back a bit. It's just a crush. You need to refocus back on business. Your financial empire won't run itself after all. And we can't run it for you." Riko whispered to her softly while stroking her hair.

If it had been anyone other than Riko saying such things to her, she would have gotten furious. But it was Riko, and she knew that Riko was right about some of it. She was losing focus. But her feelings for Ranma weren't just a crush. He was the real deal. Beside, she hadn't abandoned her financial empire, she was still running it just fine... even if she was a little distracted.

"It's fine, things are just a bit crazy right now." She said. "I haven't forgotten about taking care of business." She protested.

"Yes you have." Riko said with a laugh in her voice.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Well, let's take today for instance. What do you remember about walking out here to join us at the tree for lunch?" Riko asked in a voice she could tell was feeling smug.

"There wasn't anything remarkable about it. We held hands and walked out here, and he talked, and I listened." She said.

"Yeah, I saw that. I saw you staring at him like he was spouting lines of poetry to rival Shakespeare, and that he was more beautiful than Adonis — even though he is obviously very tired today, and not looking his best. And I saw you holding on to his hand so tightly your knuckles were white." Riko said softly.

"So? What's your point?" She said defensively.

"My point, my dear, is what you left out of your recollection of the event. Which I knew you would, because I could tell you missed it. Did you happen to hear anyone saying anything to you?" Riko asked.

She shook her head no. "No ... just the usual lunchtime background noises." She said.

Riko sighed. "Yeah, that was there too, but three different people approached you as you walked with Ranma, and called your name, and tried to get your attention. They were trying to do business with you. They wanted to make bets, and buy information, and stuff like that." Riko said gently.

"Really?" She asked in confusion. How could she possibly have missed that?

"Really. Ask Yui, she saw it too."

She nodded and just held Riko for a moment in silence. She was starting to feel like the ground was slipping out from under her again.

Riko stepped back a half step and slid her hands around her neck and pulled her in so that their foreheads were touching. Riko's hands were cold.

"I know you. You aren't fooling me. I know what's going on. I love you Kiki-chan. I want you to take a step back and _really_ look at how you have been acting the last few days." Riko whispered to her.

"I know..." She whispered in a voice that was a mixture of shame and defiance.

"You're losing yourself in him."

"I know..." She said a little bit more weakly.

"You haven't been yourself."

"I know..." She whispered as she squeezed her eyes shut.

"You're losing your perspective. I don't want you to get hurt."

"It's too late..." She whispered as she clenched her eyes shut and willed herself not to cry.

"What do you mean?"

"I ... I love him." She whispered as the tears fought back to get out.

"Oh, Nabiki, come on, you've barely even dated him. How can you—"

"I just know ... I can't explain it. It just is." She said in a shaky voice.

"But ... what if he picks Akane?" Riko asked gently.

"I don't want to think about it." She said as she tried to pull away from Riko, but Riko held firm.

"Listen to me... There will be other guys. He's special, but he isn't the only one out there." Riko whispered fiercely as she started to break down.

"It's too late, Riko. It's too late ... too late..." She whispered back as she admitted defeat and let a tear escape down her cheek.

"Oh ... Kiki ... I'm so sorry ... is it that bad?" Riko whispered remorsefully as she pulled them down to sit together on the bench.

She nodded her forehead up against Riko's. Her lower lip was trembling. Riko was making her face the very real possibility that he might not pick her. And she was finding out she wasn't as ready to be an adult about it as she had thought she was. She was also feeling more and more uneasy in his world, and that was making it harder for her to justify holding on to him, which was making it worse.

"I'm sorry ... I'm a mess." She whispered as more tears slipped down her cheeks.

"Don't be sorry."

"You should just ignore me until this is all over." She whispered in a shaking voice.

"You know I can't do that"

"Riko ...I..."

"After what we've been through? You think I can just walk away from you, ever?"

"But I—"

"I swore an oath that I'd never forget what you did for me. We're sisters, Kiki. You know I'd do anything for you!" Riko whispered urgently as her friend pulled her in hard and hugged her fiercely. "If you're determined to keep this up, then I'll support you, Kiki, you know that." Riko said softly into her ear as she held her.

She sniffled as she tried to fight back the tears in a valiant final effort to not break down in public at school.

"You listen to me ... _LISTEN TO ME..._ " Riko whispered to her urgently as she failed and started to cry. "You are the strongest person I know. If ANYONE on this Earth has earned the right to have a good cry, it's you, Kiki." Riko whispered to her gently. She heard the sound of fingers snapping and knew that Riko was summoning people to her.

She felt shadows surround her a moment later and knew that Riko had pulled in people to stand on all sides of her so that no outsider would see her lose control. She buried her face into Riko's warm neck, and let go and cried as she clutched the back of Riko's shirt as hard as she could. Riko just rocked with her and held her. Her oldest friend in the world sat and held her and stroked her hair and tried to make it better for her.

A little while later she forced herself to regain control and just hugged Riko for a while.

"Akane is on her way back. Yui's intercepting her." Riko said quietly while stroking her hair against her neck softly.

She felt herself smile. "Of course she is. Akane wouldn't have lied about something like that."

"We can keep her out..."

"No, it's fine. Akane's seen me much worse than this."

"If you want, I can go send someone to fetch Kuno or Gosunkugi here. We can light their pants on fire or something, you know, to take the edge off." Riko said in a dead serious voice.

She couldn't help herself, she laughed at that. It started out at a low giggle, and before she knew it she was shaking in Riko's arms as she laughed harder than she had laughed in a long while. She eventually leaned back and grinned at Riko and found her friend grinning back at her as Akane's shadow fell on her.

She was still giggling with Riko as Akane spoke up. "Do I even want to know?"

"Probably not." She said happily.

Akane smiled gently at her and looked around pointedly at the people surrounding her. She realized with mild surprise that many of them were members of the Brute Squad. Riko must have just pulled in anyone who was nearby when summoning people.

"Can we talk? Maybe go on a little walk?" Akane asked in a small voice.

She nodded and held her hand up to Akane, who pulled her to her feet effortlessly. "Sure, let's talk." She said as she linked arms with her younger sister and started to walk away towards the South end of the field, away from most of the buildings, and her friends.

"Should I—" Riko started to ask.

"No, it's fine, Akane's with me." She said with a wink as she set off to talk with her little sister.

"All right, well, Yui and I will be waiting here for you when you're done ... just sitting here, all alone, being normal, NOT planning on lighting anyone on fire, or anything like that." Riko called out after them in a worried tone of voice. Her friend was joking, but she could tell that underneath it, Riko didn't feel right. She didn't blame Riko, things didn't feel quite right to her, either.


	49. Am I Strong Enough?

[soundtrack for this one: _Seven Doors_ , by **ZAQ** ]

Nabiki walked side by side with Akane in silence for a minute or so. She knew that Akane was, wisely, waiting until they were out of earshot of Riko and Yui before speaking. As she waited for Akane to speak her mind, she worked through a focusing and relaxing drill to slow her heart rate down and center her breathing. The air smelled like grass and flowers.

They were headed towards the back fields where the students didn't tend to go during lunch. There was nothing out there except for an old equipment building. Akane shot a few hesitant glances at her, which she met in friendly silence. If Akane wanted to have it out with her, she wasn't going to shut her sister down, but she wasn't going to welcome it either. Once they had cleared the crowds as they headed further out into the fields, Akane started to talk.

"How are you feeling?" Akane asked quietly.

She looked over at her sister and smiled as she rubbed her jaw with a wink. "I don't know, how do I look? Is it bruised yet?" She asked.

Akane smiled back at her nervously. "Yeah, a little bit."

"Well, there go my chances with the guys." She joked.

Akane's eyes got cloudy. "Not all the guys. Ranma doesn't care about stuff like that." Akane whispered sadly.

She could hear the longing in Akane's voice. It was soul crushing. For approximately the millionth time, she wished that Akane really did hate him as she so often pretended, instead of being secretly in love with him like she so plainly was.

She looked off into the fields and away from Akane. She couldn't bear to look into Akane's eyes when they looked like that. She knew the pain Akane had to be in, but she wasn't just going to give up on him.

_Not now. I can't give up now._

_...get better ..._

_...he promised_... She fought with her thoughts as they crashed into each other and she had to steady herself a moment as she gathered herself. Obviously Akane wanted to try to talk about Ranma again. This was going to be a battle. She braced herself both emotionally and intellectually to fight Akane off.

_I am NOT giving him up!_ She swore to herself. She controlled the response she actually voiced, though. "I know he doesn't care." She said carefully.

There was silence between them for a few more moments, then Akane sucked in a shaky deep breath. She winced and waited for it, she could only imagine how upset Akane was, but it had to be pretty serious for Akane to call her out alone like this.

"You two ... are good together." Akane whispered without looking at her.

Her brain had to slam itself into reverse as she spun the wheel to try to recover from the sudden skid she found her mind in. She hadn't been expecting that. She nodded to buy herself time and looked around at the sky before she answered. "Yeah ... I think we're good together too..." She said guardedly.

"I'm happy for you..." Akane said in a voice that sounded anything but happy.

She sighed and looked at her younger sister. She didn't know what Akane was playing at, but she would rather Akane just fight openly for him instead of trying to guilt-trip her. She opened her mouth to say just that, but closed it slowly as her eyes met her sister's eyes. In Akane's eyes, she saw sadness, and shame, and even some anger, but she didn't see deceit.

_She can't have given up yet ... so ... what's she doing?_ She thought as she tried to figure out Akane's angle.

"I'm ... happy ... you're happy for me, but Akane—"

"Nabiki..." Akane interrupted her in a normal toned voice, but with an inflection that made her heart skip a beat then start racing as adrenaline flooded into her system. Something was wrong.

"Yes?" She asked in her best normal tone as well, mimicking Akane.

"Are any of your friends playing any games with you right now? Any hide and seek type of thing or sneaky tag or anything like that?" Akane asked lightly, but with a trace of worry in her voice.

"N-no. Not that I know of." She said in as normal of a voice as she could. She was suddenly very aware of the fact that Ranma wasn't with her, and they were out by themselves on the edge of the school grounds as their walk had taken them near to the back of the fields near the old equipment building.

"I was afraid of that." Akane said with a bit more worry in her voice. "Don't look around, but we're being surrounded." Akane whispered as her little sister started to make a turn with her in their walking path. If she hadn't known what Akane was doing, she wouldn't have thought twice about it. A few moments later they were facing back towards the center of the school. They were still leisurely walking, though.

"It's such a nice day today." Akane said a little louder than normal. Under her breath, Akane added, "Act normally. The longer we can delay them, the better."

"H-how many are there?" She whispered. "Yes, it is very nice today." She added in a louder voice.

"I can't tell. A lot." Akane said as she picked up her pace a little.

"Should we run for it?" She whispered as she matched Akane's pace.

"I don't know, may— _oop_ —" Akane started to answer as they started to walk faster towards the school, then stopped when several masked people all dressed in simple Chinese clothes melted away from the shadows of the nearby buildings, walls, trees and bushes and stood in their path.

There were at least a dozen of them, and they were all armed with various traditional Chinese hand weapons.

"A lot was right, you weren't kidding." She said as Akane stepped fully in front of her and threw her arms out wide protectively in a sharp motion. She could see Akane summon her full strength. Her little sister changed right in front of her from just her sister to someone in a combat situation ready to fight.

She watched Akane moving to protect her, and reached for the little chain she kept around her neck while at school, and pulled a whistle out that she kept on the chain with a shaking hand. She quickly blew three sharp blasts on it, paused a moment, and then blew two more.

The masked people started to walk towards them.

"That seems to have ... provoked them. What was that?" Akane asked over her shoulder as she backed up in front of her which forced her to step backwards as well.

"That was my _holy-crap-help_ whistle." She said with a touch of a smile on her face. The whistle was something she and Riko had setup a long time ago when they had been involved in some pretty serious loan-sharking against some shady underworld types who had deserved it. She had never actually blown the whistle to summon help though. What she hadn't told Akane was that the whistle was a last-ditch, _my life is in danger, drop everything and help me NOW_ signal. Riko would be moving Heaven and Earth to get to her now, and Riko would send for _literally_ everyone. The whistle was the signal to activate code-white. Anyone who owed her a favor, and could fight, would be sent for.

"Are you just hoping someone will hear—" Akane started to say, when a shrill whistle blast came from the direction of the school. It was a very long and sharp note, and then it was followed by a tiny pause, and then two short notes very close together. The notes weren't clean notes, they warbled unsteadily and hurriedly.

She breathed a tiny bit easier. "That was Riko. That signal means she is on her way and bringing help."

"I ... don't think they're going to get here in time." Akane said nervously as the people who clearly meant to attack them walked towards them and herded them back towards the equipment building.

Their attackers were all masked, but she was pretty sure they were all Amazons. They all had long hair tied back in simple ponytails, and they were all wearing the same loose-fitting black Chinese silk simple pants and shirts. They looked mostly gender-neutral, but the way they moved was a touch feminine.

Not that it mattered if the people who attacked her were male or female. She willed Riko to arrive sooner. She closed her eyes momentarily and screamed at herself in her mind for being stupid enough to fall for the trap.

_OF COURSE, they must have lured Ranma away! What was I thinking?! Akane is strong, but she isn't strong enough to fight off even Shampoo by herself. I am such a freaking IDIOT!_

Akane stopped suddenly a few dozen meters away from the building they were being herded towards. Her little sister obviously didn't want them pressed with their backs up against a wall. Their attackers began to split up into groups and spread out.

"Nabiki, get ready to run." Akane whispered to her. "I can take two, maybe three of them, so I'll clear you a path, and you run for it as fast as you can. Don't ... don't look back." Akane said in a brave voice that cracked with emotion. She realized Akane was trying to keep her from seeing what happened to her.

"I _can't_ leave you to—" she whispered back in protest as the masked people advanced on them and it dawned on her that she was in real danger of being hurt, maybe killed, and her voice broke as the fear started to overwhelm her.

"You _can't_ help me, Nabiki. Please, _please_ just listen to me and run when I tell you to. I can hold them off long enough ... for you to get away." Akane said in an uncertain voice that struggled to sound confident.

"Akane ... " she whispered, not knowing what else to say. She couldn't ... she just _couldn't_ run away and leave Akane to these people. Could she?

_I can't..._

_I can't, I can't, I CAN'T!_

The masked people started to surround them. Akane was still holding her arms out protectively as she tried to shield her and turn to keep them all in her sight, but there were too many of them.

In the distance she could now see Riko and some others running towards them, many of them waving weapons, but she didn't think they would arrive in time. She started to hyperventilate as the fear fully overwhelmed her. She wasn't trained to handle this. She felt her legs starting to give out as the edges of her vision started to blacken. She wanted to throw up and cry at the same time. Her mind was working overtime trying to figure out how to save her life, but she was drawing a blank.

_I can't handle this! I can't, I can't, I can't!_

There were two layers to the attackers. There was an outer layer that was acting as a rear guard between them and the people rushing over to help, and an inner layer that had started to circle them. Even if Riko and the rest reached them in time, they'd have to get through—

_I see Ranma! He's coming!_ She interrupted her own thoughts as she caught sight of him. He was moving like she had only ever in her life seen one other person move. Ranma was running to her like Doctor Tofu had run to their mother near the end. He was moving so fast, he was blurring, as he sprinted towards them ... towards her.

She could only tell it was him, at the distance he was at, because of his red Chinese shirt. But he was getting closer by the heartbeat. She and Akane just had to hang on a bit longer. Her heart surged with hope as tears of relief flooded to her eyes and she pulled in a shuddering breath that was a mixture of a sob and a choking sound while shivers ran up and down her spine. She was so scared, she could _feel_ her heart beating in her chest. She closed her eyes tightly and wished harder than she could ever remember, for Ranma to arrive in time.

Ranma was running to her with inhuman speed. He was dodging around students, trees, walls and anything else that got in his way like they weren't even there. Whatever or whoever he couldn't move around, he simply destroyed or knocked over to move past. He reached the rear guard about the same time that Riko and the others did, and simply jumped over them.

He ran to the inner layer that was just starting to run towards her and Akane as they began to attack. She could tell that Akane wasn't focused on Ranma or the others, Akane was focused on their nearest attackers. As soon as the first one stepped into range, Akane lashed out with a vicious kick and knocked the Amazon back.

Akane then turned to her with dark eyes. "RUN! NOW!" Akane yelled the command while pointing towards the hole in the line of attackers that had just been cleared.

She shook her head in defiance as Akane swung her attention back to the fight. There were six attackers in the layer closest to them. Her eyes widened and she gasped as another of the attackers lunged towards herself. She raised her hands into a guard, but without a weapon of her own, or the expertise to disarm the Amazons, she knew it would do no good.

Akane heard her gasp and pivoted to get to her, but she could tell Akane wouldn't get to her in time. Terror flashed across Akane's face and her little sister lunged for her anyway. She started to squeeze her eyes shut as the Amazon's bladed weapon arced towards her—

Then Ranma was there.

He exploded up from under her attacker's legs as he slid under the Amazon and kicked up into their stomach to get in between them and her with a flash of frantically violent motion. The Amazon doubled over and slumped to the ground as he smoothly regained his own feet. The Amazon he had kicked didn't get back up.

She wobbled backwards and tried to get out of his way. Akane reached her and yanked her out of the way of another attack in a combination of a hug and a spin. Ranma blurred into cold, lethal motion. He knocked everyone back away from them, hard. His feet and hands were everywhere. He slapped their defenses down like they weren't even there. He was breathing hard and visibly furious. She let out a shaky breath as tears flooded her eyes and her body quaked with emotions that ranged from relief to joy.

The rest of the attackers paused for a moment. They clearly hadn't been expecting this. Meanwhile, their rear guard had been surrounded by Riko and the others. She could see that Riko had brought the Brute Squad.

_Good, they're finally going to earn their keep._ She thought absently as her adrenaline levels spiked.

Riko took advantage of the pause to throw Ranma the staff she had been carrying. Tears were streaming down Riko's face. She could tell her friend was hysterical with fear.

Ranma caught the staff easily and twirled it expertly around his head, behind his back, to either side of himself, and then abruptly he stopped it and pulled it back into a guard position in his right hand as he took up a position in front of her and Akane with his back to them. She fixed her eyes on him with absolute certainty in her heart, and started to allow her muscles to unclench ... Ranma was here.

Ranma's presence changed the situation _entirely_. He would _never_ allow her or Akane to be hurt. The Amazons wouldn't be able to touch her or Akane now. The situation had changed from a potentially life-threatening one, to a simple problem on a school playground. Akane did not drop her defensive stance though, even with Ranma present.

Ranma stood roughly centered between herself and Akane, and about two steps in front of them. He held the staff loosely tucked under his right arm, with his right hand snaked around it and grasping it in a reverse grip. His left hand he held at his waist level positioned like he was getting ready to pick something up. All of the attackers had frozen in place. The attackers eyed him for a moment then looked at their leader uncertainly. She would have bet money Shona was the leader.

"They'd be idiots to attack him now. With the staff, he has twice their reach." Akane whispered to her. She looked over at Akane and nodded. She hadn't been worried anyway. She had absolute faith in Ranma's skills. But, it never hurt to have more information. She could feel adrenaline surging in her veins still. She felt giddy and floaty at the same time — it was a mixture of fear and relief.

"LEAVE! NOW!" Ranma yelled in a voice dripping darkly with anger. His voice echoed off the walls and building around them, and was so loud it sounded like he had used a loudspeaker. It was a voice she had never heard him use before. It was scary.

She could feel heat coming off him. She tried to concentrate like Ranma had shown her, but she was still too disoriented. "Is he glowing?" She asked Akane.

"Yes." Akane said without looking back at her. Akane had her eyes locked on Ranma, and nodded at him very slowly for some reason. She could see that Akane was readying herself to fight as well.

Her little sister was standing in a fighting stance with her hips angled back away from Ranma, and was focused behind them. She carefully tilted her head to either side and realized they were surrounded. She was impressed Akane had noticed that. She was sure Ranma knew.

The leader of the attackers waved a hand forward in answer to Ranma's order, and the attackers rushed at them.

"No!" Ranma yelled as he whipped the staff out from under his arm and grasped it strongly in his left. She could see the muscles in his arms cording as he flexed them. He whipped the staff into picture-perfect left-right strikes that snapped against the sides of the heads of the first two attackers as he took several steps backwards.

As he dropped the two in front of him, he pulled the staff backwards and switched his grip. "Akane, NOW!" He yelled.

She blinked in confusion as she wondered what he expected Akane to—

Akane answered the question by lunging for her, and knocking her to the ground. As they hit the ground, Akane wrapped her body around her protectively, then Akane tucked her head down next to her own.

She was stunned and the wind had been knocked out of her, and what little air she was managing to pull in was filling her nose with dust, but she could still see what was happening, albeit from a world turned sideways. As she gasped painfully for breath, she watched Ranma complete his steps to what had been his rear, and shift his hips as he pivoted and dropped the staff into a low sweeping arc with the leading tip of the staff.

He swept one of the attackers off their feet who had been rushing her and Akane, and then brought the other end of the staff around to complete the arc and smashed it into the face of the fourth attacker. He pulled that end of the staff back and brought the staff vertical as he locked his hands into a cross-hold and brought the staff stabbing down in a brutal strike to the solar plexus of the attacker he had knocked off their feet as they started to get up.

Without missing a beat, he whipped the staff behind himself and blocked a strike from the leader of the attackers as he twisted his stance and faced them. The leader was the last one standing.

She twisted herself in Akane's arms to continue watching as she gulped in ragged breaths. It was amazing to watch Ranma when he was serious. She could barely follow his movements, they were so fast. But unlike a lot of other people, Ranma didn't lose any of the power behind his strikes when he moved fast and he was serious. Every time he struck she could tell, just from the sounds of the impacts, that he was putting enough power behind it to seriously injure his opponent.

Ranma and the leader of the attackers traded rapid blows, each of them blocking each other's strikes. But it was clear even to her non-expert eyes that Ranma outclassed his opponent. Ranma was driving the Amazon backwards, and the Amazon was having trouble blocking Ranma's strikes even though she was expertly dual wielding some sort of fighting sticks.

Both she and Akane sat up as the fight moved further away from them. Akane put an arm around her and stood up, bringing her to her feet as well. It was easy to forget how strong Akane was, until her little sister did things like that. She was still having a hard time breathing from having the wind knocked out of her. Akane seemed fine, she noticed with annoyance.

Ranma was pressing the leader of the attackers harder and harder. He kept stepping into his opponent's stance and taking her balance, forcing her to backpedal and rapidly try to circle around Ranma to stay on her feet. 

Ranma responded by whipping his staff out to its full length and brutally slapping his opponent's legs as he herded her towards the wall of the equipment building they had been walking around. Some of Ranma's strikes were getting through now. She idly wondered if Ranma knew he was fighting a girl.

She could see that Ranma's opponent was rapidly losing the ability to block. In a lot of fights she had seen Ranma in, he would usually stop when he saw that. But not this time. She couldn't see his face as he drove the attacker away from her and Akane, but she could tell by the relentless assault Ranma was using to drive the Amazon back, that he was out for blood. If anything, the strength of his attacks increased at the signs of the flagging strength of his opponent.

A moment later, the Amazon crashed up against the wall, and Ranma reacted with incredible speed. His hands and the staff became a blur. As his opponent bounced off the wall she suddenly had no weapons in her hands. A heartbeat later she doubled over like he'd been hit in the gut, then a beat after that her head snapped back hard and hit the wall, and it was all over. The Amazon slowly slid down the wall, unconscious.

Ranma paused for a heartbeat with the staff raised in the last striking position he had used to sweep up and knock her back, as he stood in a twist-stance, crouched low and powerfully close to the ground. He then straightened up and immediately whipped the staff back up under his arm in a guard position and pivoted to survey the battlefield for a new target, and she finally could see his face again.

_His eyes... holy crap, his eyes!_ She thought when she could see his face again. It chilled her to look at him. His face was a blank mask, but his eyes were burning with darkness.

Akane noticed it too. She felt her little sister stiffen next to her as Ranma's eyes scanned for anyone else left to fight. His eyes settled on them, and both of them flinched. It was ... scary ... having that stare of his directed at them.

There was nobody left for him to fight. The six he had dealt with weren't moving. And Riko and the brute squad had either knocked the rest out, or chased them off, as she could see no sign of them.

A moment later the terrible spectre in his eyes cleared and shifted to concern. He sprinted over to them and dropped the staff as he pulled them both into his arms. "You're okay, right? They didn't hurt you, did they?" He asked anxiously.

Both she and her sister shook their heads no. But she was lying. She wasn't all right. She could feel her legs giving out under her as the adrenaline wore off and the fear slammed into her. She could feel Akane next to her shaking a bit as well. Ranma was rock solid.

_Figures. He's probably an adrenaline junkie at this point._ She thought as she shook even harder as the adrenaline faded from her body, and the delayed reaction to the fear made her feel like throwing up and very weak in the knees.

She felt herself slipping downward against Ranma and her vision started to go dark as she passed out. Before she slipped into unconsciousness, she felt Ranma's iron muscles contract in his arm and arrest her fall. He called out to her in a worried tone as she faded. "Hey, Nabiki ... hey! Hold on! I've got you!"

_I know you do_. She thought absently as the darkness folded over her vision. _I know you do._

Weirdly, as she lost consciousness and slumped in his arms, she could have sworn she saw the nurse, Miso, whom she'd met on Monday, standing on top of the equipment building Ranma had driven the Amazon leader into. As she passed out, she could have sworn that Miso had a weird glow around her, and very hard eyes. Then the darkness claimed her.

***

"—was impressive tha—"

"—ot so bad yourself, Akane, y—"

Nabiki was rocking back and forth. She didn't know what was going on. She could hear Ranma talking to Akane. Her eyes were closed.

"—pressive control, how did yo—"

"—imple staff control, your dad could show ya, it's j—"

Ranma and Akane were talking about the fight. She could tell by their voices that they weren't upset. They even sounded ... somewhat ... happy?

"—ever seen you take on that many before, did you have a pla—"

"—ah, ya know me, I never have a plan." Ranma said with a laugh.

Ranma's voice was coming from right above her, Akane's was coming from the right. She realized that Ranma was carrying her cradled in his arms. That would explain the swaying motion she felt, and also why her core felt warm on one side, but not the other, and her arms and legs felt cold. She was rapidly climbing back up from unconsciousness. She had to admit that it annoyed her that neither of them seemed all that disconcerted about the fight that had just happened where her life had been in danger.

"—aybe you could show me how t—" Akane's voice asked quietly, but with a note of seduction to it to her ears.

"—eah, maybe ... sometime..." Ranma's voice replied in an embarrassed tone.

_All right, that's enough of that_. She thought as she deliberately stirred in Ranma's arms to let him know she was awake.

Ranma responded immediately. "Hey, I think she's wakin' up." He said in a happy voice.

"Let me see." Akane's voice said much more closely. A moment later she felt a cool female-sized hand on her cheek. "Nabiki ... Nabiki ... are you awake?" Akane asked softly. She could feel the warm breath from her sister's lips on her neck and her ear. Akane had to be leaning over her in Ranma's arms.

She sighed. She didn't really want to be dealing with Akane right now, especially when her little sister was using her unconsciousness as an opportunity to sidle up to Ranma again.

She nodded and mumbled a response with surprisingly clumsy lips. "M'kay, m'wake." Was all she was able to get out. She felt Ranma's arms tighten around her. In her mind it was out of affection and relief.

"She doesn't sound too good." Akane said with concern. That annoyed her even more.

"We'll be home soon, then the Doc can look at 'er." Ranma said with a note of concern in his voice. She felt him start moving again, faster than before. She felt a momentary flush of anger at that. She was getting awfully tired of being treated like a defenseless child.

"P't m' d'wn!" She said in a voice that was angrier than she had intended. She may have been slurring her words a bit, but her mind was clearing rapidly.

Ranma slowed down, but didn't stop moving. She turned her head so it was no longer buried in his chest and looked up at him. He was looking down at her with concern in his eyes. She sighed as her anger melted away from the forefront of her mind.

"You sure?" He asked her.

Akane appeared in her field of vision then, walking behind him and peeking over his shoulder. Akane looked concerned as well. It didn't escape her notice that Akane was standing very close to him and had put her hand on his shoulder with casual familiarity.

She nodded her head firmly, and Ranma sighed and stopped walking. She then felt him relax his arm under her legs. As she slid down him so her feet swung downward, he shifted his grip on her upper body with his other arm so that he was holding her loosely enough to allow her body to change positions, but still firmly enough so that she didn't just drop out of his arms.

As soon as she felt her feet touch the ground she tried to stand up and take her weight back on to her own feet. A wave of dizziness hit her immediately and she knew she would have fallen if she hadn't felt Ranma's arms steady her.

She wobbled on her feet for a few more moments as she regained her equilibrium while she kept her hands on his chest, and rested her forehead on him as well. She eventually felt strong enough to lift her head off him, and looked for his eyes again. She found him staring at her with concern still in his eyes, but with a touch of exasperation as well. She could tell he thought it was a bad idea for her to try to be standing.

_Well ... tough. I may not be as strong as Akane is, but I'll be damned if I am going to let him carry me all the way home while Akane walks next to him and merrily chats about fighting techniques._ She groused to herself as she plastered a fake smile on her face for him. He smiled back weakly and waited until she pushed herself off of him.

She wobbled again for a moment, and she saw him start to lunge for her, but she held a hand up to ward him off. He paused and just watched her as she regained her balance. When she was done she looked up again and found both Ranma and Akane eying her with worry in their eyes. She sighed and reached for his hand.

A part of her knew she was reaching for him as a way to assert her claim on him for Akane's benefit. Another part of her just simply wanted to hold him. And a very small, and secret, part of her wanted to hold on to his hand in case she did lose her balance again. She sighed inwardly about that.

She tugged on Ranma's hand to start him walking again. She saw him glance over at Akane and share a look before looking straight ahead again. Akane looked over at her with an unreadable expression then looked straight ahead. The anger inside her started reaching for the surface again.

They walked in silence for about a block before she finally broke it with a question. "So ... w-what happened?" She asked in a slightly shaky, but no longer slurred voice.

"The Amazons attacked us. Don't you remember?" Akane asked with worry in her voice.

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, I remember being attacked. I meant how did it happen? It seems like it was an awfully large coincidence that they attacked right when Ranma had been called away to see the principal."

"Yeah ... about that..." Ranma said in a guilty voice.

She looked over at him expectantly. He met her gaze with guilty eyes before he went back to looking around for danger like he always did. He spoke up again a few moments later after he had collected his thoughts. "I guess ... the Amazons were behind that too. The lady who told Akane to come get me doesn't work for the school..." He said with embarrassment.

"Then how—" She started to ask.

"Miso stopped her." Akane said with a note of admiration in her voice.

"Miso ... you mean the nurse?" She asked as her foggy memory, or was it a dream, of the nurse standing on top of the equipment build watching the end of the fight with a weird presence about her, rose up in her mind.

"Yeah. She stopped us in the hall and started asking the lady I was with who she was, and why she was with a student." Ranma said softly. She could tell he was embarrassed that he had been tricked.

"Wait, but if Miso stopped her, then why did it take you so long to get back?" She asked.

"Oh, well Akane brought me over to see her in that building, and she was sittin' in a classroom and had a clipboard 'n stuff. As soon as Akane found her, the lady told Akane to leave, and then had me sit down in one of the desks. She asked me a bunch of questions like what my homeroom was and stuff like that. She didn't seem to be in much of a hurry. I thought she was just fillin' out a form or somethin'." He said softly.

A sharp, cold fear stabbed her in the heart. "What ... did you tell her?" She asked with a hint of distress building in her voice.

"Nothin' important. Just my homeroom, the building its in, who my teacher is, an stuff. I didn't tell her nothin' about home or anything like that. I guess she was just tryin' ta keep me busy as long as possible, but she didn't try to get any secrets from me." He said defensively.

She relaxed. She knew Shampoo already knew where his classroom was, because Shampoo had been to it before. And if Shampoo knew, the rest of the Amazons knew as well.

"So yeah, anyway then she asked me to follow her to the office. We walked a little bit then the nurse stepped into the hallway, took one look at her, and blocked her path and wouldn't let her go any further without showing ID. The lady squared off with the nurse for a moment, and I could have sworn I felt a battle aura for a bit." Ranma said absently, like he was reliving the moment in his mind.

"What's wrong?" Akane asked.

Ranma looked over at Akane and then went back to scanning for danger before he answered. "It's just ... I dunno, it felt ... wrong, for a bit, when it was happenin'. I can't really explain it, but it felt like something else was going on that I could feel the edges of, but I couldn't see. But, yeah, anyway I don't know how that all ended."

"Why not?" She asked, genuinely curious. Her anger and annoyance with him already forgotten.

"Because I realized somethin' must be goin' on with you." He said quietly.

"So you just left Miso there?" Akane asked in a scandalized tone.

He shook his head strongly at that. "No. I took a step to head back outside, then I stopped and turned to help deal with that other lady first. But ... " He trailed off, again lost in thought. She and Akane waited patiently for him to continue. "...But ... the nurse looked right at me for a moment and yelled for me to run." He said in an almost haunted voice.

"And?" Akane asked.

"Nothin', I ran outside as fast as I could. I almost ran right into the two girls that Riko sent to get me. They pointed me to where you were, and you know the rest." He said quietly.

They walked in silence after that until they got back home, each of them lost in their own thoughts. She passed Doctor Tofu standing on top of the wall of their lands without saying a word, and headed inside. He nodded at her, but didn't divert his stony eyes from scanning the horizon for danger. She didn't know what to think about anything anymore. Her life was sliding out of her control, and she knew it.

She trailed after Ranma and Akane who both headed for the kitchen and then out to the dining room to eat. Nobody said anything about them being home during the middle of the day. She hung back and leaned on the wall and sipped a soda as they restarted their discussion about the fight.

Akane and Ranma spent the better part of the next half hour discussing the fight, and techniques, and Kenpo and training. Ranma tried to include her in the discussion a few times, but even though he asked her things or commented on things that were related to the martial arts on a level that she understood, she just didn't really feel much like joining in. She gave him polite answers, but didn't engage in the conversation at all.

Inside, she was at total war with herself. Her desire to be with him, to marry him, and to build a life with him was clashing strongly with her desire to be free to live her own life in her own way, to not be under constant threat, and to live a normal life.

_Can I handle this?_ She thought as she watched him chat excitedly with Akane about the pros and cons of techniques for multiple opponent fights. She listened to them with part of her attention as she pondered what she should do.

"—ey is to keep attackin' that wa—"

_Am I strong enough?_

"—hat if they double team yo—"

_Will this be what my life would be like?_

"—n that case, ya just—"

_Will it ever end? Is this what I want my life to be?_

"—sed to do something similar when those boys would try to beat me before school every da—"

_I want to be with him ... but ... do I want to be with him at **any** cost?_ She asked herself as she pushed herself up from the wall and wandered out of the room. She saw Ranma notice her leave, and tense his muscles to get up to follow her, but she waved him back. They were at home where Daddy and Doctor Tofu were watching the house. She was safe inside the house. Well, she was as safe as she could be anyway. This morning had illustrated to her quite clearly that if the Amazons really wanted to, they could probably get inside the house. All of the comfortable illusions most people had about being safe at home were gone for her now.

She sighed and wandered into her room and changed and threw herself into her studies that she had been neglecting for far too long. A knock sounded on her door once or twice as she worked, but she ignored it. She shut her active mind off and let her mind slip into studying mode where she was only aware of what she was reading and writing. It was something she did occasionally to handle stress.

She got a decent amount of studying done before it was time for dinner. She could smell the wonderfully savory smells of roasted meats and vegetables from upstairs. It smelled like Kasumi had outdone herself again. When she emerged from her room to eat she found Ranma sitting at the table across from Akane. He wasn't looking at Akane though, he looked straight at her when she entered the room, and his eyes never left her face. She could tell just from the expression on his face, that he was worried about her.

She smiled a small smile for him and sat down next to him without comment. She could tell just by the relaxation of his body language, that her small gesture made him happy. She darted her eyes over to Akane and found her little sister watching them with eyes that were both thoughtful and somewhat ... wistful? She wasn't exactly sure. Akane wasn't all that readable to her these days. That probably had more to do with the emotional turmoil she was going through more than anything Akane was doing.

As they ate, Ranma kept doing the same thing he always did. He sneaked little looks at her, and made small body language gestures to show he was interested in her. He wasn't being obvious, but the signs were there for those who knew to look for them.

Akane was giving off signals too. Her little sister was watching both of them, but mostly him. She could tell by the subtle tells in Akane's body language that Akane hadn't given up. She didn't blame Akane. He was an incredible person.

_But am I strong enough to be with him? Am I willing to pay the price?_ She asked herself. She had no answers for her questions.

Kasumi joined them for dinner but didn't say anything. Her elder sister spent all of her time staring outside through the porch doors. She was sure Kasumi was watching for Doctor Tofu.

The men protecting their home came to eat in shifts, one at a time. Ranma's dad ate first. He had his bandages off, and just had small wraps around his wounds now. He glared at Ranma a bit before eating, but didn't say anything. She was sure Genma was probably still sulking about how he had been woken up this morning, but was smart enough not to complain about it in the presence of the two people who had been in danger while he had slept.

Daddy took Genma's place, and ate quietly while chatting softly with Kasumi. She didn't know what they were talking about, but Kasumi nodded a lot. Doctor Tofu came in briefly and grabbed a few rice balls off the table, then left without a word. Of all of the men watching the house, Doctor Tofu was the most serious about it. She didn't know why that was. She also didn't know why that fact didn't really reassure her. If anything she felt some uneasiness about it whenever she thought about it, which made no sense as Doctor Tofu was easily the strongest of the four of them.

She looked over at Ranma and felt a little better. His simple presence allowed her to relax a bit from the nervousness she felt, and calmed her chaotic thoughts down a bit.

_...he promised..._

She didn't have much time to think more on the subject though, because Daddy chose that moment to clear his throat to get their attention.

"I've thought about it, and for the next few nights, I think it would probably be better if I revised the sleeping situation for the household. It is much easier for us to protect just this one room. I realize this will interfere with Nabiki and Ranma getting to know each other, but their engagement will just have to be on hold until this situation with the Amazons is resolved."

She had been expecting something like this. She cast her eyes quickly around the table, and found reactions mostly as she would expect. Ranma looked equally relieved and also disappointed. Akane was trying hard not to show satisfaction on her face, but failing. Kasumi seemed happy about it, and Daddy was his usual serious self. The only face she couldn't see, was her own. But she knew how she felt. Or, rather, she knew how she didn't feel.

_This ... is probably for the best ... for now. It will remove the temptation for me to scare him away._ She thought as she reached over and patted his hand to reassure him. He flexed his hand under hers. She didn't know what he was signaling, but she assumed it was acceptance.

_...he promised..._

Daddy stood up and looked directly at Ranma. "Let's go, son. You'll be taking the first watch with me. Your father and Doctor Tofu have the second watch." Daddy said to Ranma. It wasn't a suggestion. She knew that Ranma was under no obligation to obey Daddy. He could walk away from everything, and not look back, and nothing truly terrible would happen to him. He'd lose everyone he'd made a relationship with in Nerima, but he'd also lose all of the baggage he'd picked up here too.

But Ranma didn't walk away. Instead he stood up like the man she knew he was, ready to do what he saw as his duty. He looked down at her for a moment and smiled. "Don't worry, nobody'll get inside." He said confidently.

She smiled for him, because she knew he expected her to. "I know they won't. I trust you." She said. She knew the role she was expected to play in all of this. It wasn't a role she had ever played before, and her strong inner-feminist-warrior spirit wasn't happy about it, but she ignored that part of herself right now.

_There will be time in the future to change the shape of our relationship. Right now, is not the time, though. Right now, he needs to focus on what he's doing, without worrying about how I feel about it_. She thought resolutely. She ignored the part of herself that reminded her that she didn't really know what shape she wanted the relationship to be in, or even if there would be a relationship to shape.

_Am I strong enough?_ She asked herself as he walked over to stand next to Daddy.

Daddy and Ranma walked towards the door. Ranma went out first with a last backwards glance at her. Daddy stopped at the door and turned around slowly. He looked straight at Akane. There was a fire burning in his eyes.

"Akane ... " He said in a tone she didn't hear him use very often. It was his extremely-serious tone.

Akane looked up at him and nodded. "Yes, Dad?"

"Akane, if we should fail ... if the Amazons make it into the house, then you three will be the last of the Tendo line." He said quietly, but in a voice that had their attention.

She looked over at Akane and saw darkness enter her sister's eyes. She didn't know what it was, but it was scary. Akane nodded once, slowly, to Daddy.

"If the Amazons are in the house ... Akane ... it will be up to you to keep our line from falling. Do your duty, Akane. Do what must be done." Daddy said quietly.

_What does he mean by that?!_ She thought in shock as she stared at him with unblinking eyes. She wanted him to look at her so she could ask him, but he was focused on Akane.

Akane nodded again, even more slowly this time. "I understand." Akane said quietly, in the same tone Daddy was using.

"Swear it, Akane. Swear it on your honor." Daddy demanded.

She blinked. Daddy had never once demanded that they swear an oath for a promise. _What is going on?!_ She wanted to scream.

"I ... I swear it ... on my ... my honor." Akane whispered without looking away from Daddy. She could tell Akane really wanted to though. Daddy's eyes looked uncomfortable to look at right now.

"Say the words, Akane." Daddy said without flinching.

"I ... I swear I will do what must be done ... on my honor." Akane whispered even more quietly.

Daddy held her gaze for a handful of heartbeats longer, then nodded curtly, stepped through the door, and was gone.

"What the hell was that about?!" She demanded as soon as Daddy was gone. Akane looked down and wouldn't look up again. The only sign Akane would give that she'd even heard her was to shake her head. "Akane? Akane answer me! What the hell was that about?!" She demanded even more loudly as panic raced around in her chest and her breathing rate increased. Akane didn't answer, her little sister just kept shaking her head. "Akane, answer me or I—" She said in a voice that was rising to a shout.

"That's enough." Kasumi interrupted her. She turned and looked at Kasumi with angry eyes. Kasumi smiled gently at her. "Don't worry about it. You know Father is just ... overly dramatic sometimes. The Amazons won't get past them. Father may tire, and Mister Saotome may not have the endurance to last through the night. But Doctor Tofu won't fail. And you should know by now, Nabiki, that Ranma doesn't give up. I would believe that the sky was falling before I would believe that either of them would fall to the Amazons." Kasumi said with gentle confidence and a calming voice.

"Yeah, but—" She started to protest as Kasumi's voice did indeed start to calm her down.

"Let it go, Nabiki." Kasumi said gently, but firmly.

She opened her mouth to argue further, then stopped herself, nodded, and sighed as she let out a breath that carried her empty arguments away.

_I don't know what I would do with the information, even if they told me. I am sure that was some sort of a 'fight to the death' or 'run away and save yourself as the last practitioner of the Art' plan anyway. Knowing specifically what it was about would probably just make me angry_. She thought with no small amount of consternation.

She stood up from the table and wandered out of the room in a daze. She made her way up to her room and changed into her sleeping clothes. When she was done she went to stand by her window and looked out at the part of her family's lands she could see. Ranma walked by next to Daddy. They were probably on patrol. As they passed her window, Ranma looked up and right at her, and winked. She smiled weakly for him and held the smile until he was out of her sight, then she turned from the window on suddenly shaky legs and walked unsteadily to the bathroom to take care of her nightly routine.

_Am I strong enough?_ She asked herself repeatedly as she went through the motions of a routine which felt like it was happening to another person. Her life was so far outside of the bounds of being normal right now, that doing any part of her prior life's normal routine felt alien to her now. With everything else going on, it was almost comical that she was still doing anything from her normal routine.

She walked uneasily back downstairs and found the dining room again transformed into a group sleeping arrangement. Kasumi had setup a tea pot on the table, which had been pushed into a corner and was taking sips from a teacup and staring out of the crack between the doors to the balcony. She watched Kasumi's hands carefully, and saw that they were shaking a little bit.

Akane was sitting on the bedding, and looked up at her when she entered the room, and kept her eyes on her. She smiled a polite smile for her little sister as she made her way over to the bedding.

Kasumi noticed her enter as well, and stood up from the table and turned off the lights before returning to the table to continue sipping her tea while staring out the doors.

She had never seen Kasumi openly worried before. It was ... unsettling. She sighed and sat down on the bedding next to Akane, and laid down with a deeper sigh. The bedding was cold. She hated that. She knew if Ranma was with her, he would be warm.

She shook her head to dismiss such thoughts from her mind. Dwelling on things like that, which she had no control over, was not going to make her feel any better.

She felt Akane lay down beside her. She closed her eyes and tried to drift off to sleep as fast as she could, to avoid having to deal with Akane. But her little sister had other plans.

"I'm sorry..." Akane whispered to her as her little sister put a hand gently on her arm.

She nodded without opening her eyes. "It's okay." She whispered back. She didn't know what Akane was sorry about, but she didn't want to get into it at the moment anyway.

"If ... if it wasn't for me ... they never would have been able to get Ranma away from you ..." Akane whispered in an anguished voice.

_Ah, so she's still on that?_ She thought to herself with some amusement. "It's fine, Akane. If they hadn't tricked you, they would have just tricked someone else. You know how it is at school. Any adult giving orders is usually obeyed." She replied as she reached across her body and patted Akane's hand.

She kept her eyes closed, and breathed a small sigh of relief as she felt Akane lift her hand up. She then felt Akane settle back down into the bedding, and hoped that her little sister would take the hint and go to sleep. She didn't.

Akane scooted closer to her so their bodies were laying side by side on the bedding. She didn't know if Akane just wanted to cuddle for warmth, or if Akane wanted to still—

"I can't tell you what Dad wanted me to promise. I wish I could, but I also promised I would keep it a secret." Akane whispered again.

She nodded strongly enough that the motion could be felt in the bedding. She didn't know if Akane was looking at her or not, but she knew Akane would be able to feel that. She still hadn't opened her eyes to look at Akane.

"Do you understand?" Akane whispered right into her ear.

She sighed and cracked her eyes open and looked over at Akane. Her little sister was laying next to her, but was laying in her side in a position that was halfway into the fetal position. Her little sister had her hands tucked between her legs, and her chin resting on her chest. Akane's shoulders were hunched in, and her legs were partially curled up. It was a pathetic pose, it cried out with a need to be held.

She steeled herself against the emotional manipulation and answered Akane in a neutral voice. "I understand that you and Daddy have secrets, if that's what you mean." She whispered tiredly.

Akane shook her head softly without looking up at her. "It wasn't a promise I made to Dad." Akane whispered in a voice that was trembling with emotion.

She had to admit, Akane had succeeded in piquing her interest. She sighed and propped herself up on an elbow and stared at her sister. "Who then? Doctor Tofu?" She asked.

Akane didn't answer right away. Her little sister kept looking down at nothing for a few heartbeats, then finally raised her eyes to meet her own and whispered a single word that sent shivers running down her spine. "Mom."

She started at Akane wide eyed for a moment. "What do you mean?" She asked.

Akane sighed. "I made Mom a promise about what Dad asked about, when I was really little. Dad was reminding me of the promise." Akane said quietly, with a shaking voice.

She laid back down and shook her head softly to try to clear it. She closed her eyes and pulled in some deep breaths. _I swear, with everything going on lately, it's almost like Mom's back_. She thought with no small amount of bitterness.

She sighed and reached over to Akane and slid her hand down Akane's shoulder then arm, and finally to her little sister's hand, without looking at her. Once she had Akane's hand in her own, she squeezed gently. "I understand." Was all she said, in a gentle tone of voice. "I guess Mom got a lot of promises out of us before we lost her..." She added in a weak voice as she fought back the familiar wave of emotions she felt whenever she thought about Mom.

The wave seemed to be stronger these days, as if the emotions were getting stronger, or she was getting worse at dealing with them. The straining feeling she had been feeling inside resonated again as she struggled against the emotions.

Akane didn't say anything to her, but did squeeze her hand in return. She closed her eyes and tried to drift off to sleep, but Akane whispered to her again and interrupted her.

"Nabiki ..." Akane said in a hesitant voice.

"Yeah?" She answered tiredly. She hadn't realized it until she laid down, but she was more tired than she had thought she was.

"I'm afraid..." Akane said weakly.

"Don't let Daddy hear you say that, he might demote you." She tried to joke to lighten the mood.

"Not ... about fighting. I'm afraid ... I think ... I think I'm starting to forget Mom..." Akane whispered in an anguished voice.

Her heart stopped for a moment as emotions hit her hard. She pulled in a strong breath as she rolled over to face Akane, and pulled her little sister into her arms.

Akane stayed balled up into her pitiful semi-fetal position for a few more moments as her little sister's frame shook from the efforts to suppress whatever feelings in Akane were fighting to the surface.

A few moments later, Akane relaxed into her arms and scooted into her to entwine her legs and arms with her own in a proper cuddling position. She whispered soft shushing sounds to Akane as she stroked her little sister's hair. Once Akane had calmed down, she began whispering softly into Akane's ear all about Mom.

Her memory was generally very good. When it came to Mom, her memory was a steel trap. She remembered every little detail about her, from the way Mom had smelled, to how soft her hands were, what her clothes felt like, what her voice sounded like, what she said ... everything.

And she patiently told it all to Akane as she held her little sister, and comforted her. Akane slowly unclenched in her arms, and was soon relaxed and near sleep.

While she was telling Akane about Mom, a single question kept repeating in her own mind, over and over again, as she grappled with her own fears.

_Am I strong enough?_


	50. It's Not Her Fault

[soundtrack for this one: _Let Her Go_ , by **Passenger** ]

The morning came slowly for Nabiki the next day. She woke groggily to someone shaking her gently on the shoulder.

... _can't_...

"C'mon Nabiki, time to get up." Someone said

... _I can't_...

Someone was shaking her gently, but insistently.

... _I can't, I_...

"Nabiki, you all right?" The person said ... it was Ranma. Ranma was shaking her.

Fear rose up in her and her eyes snapped open as she sat up abruptly. "What's wrong, are the Amazons—" She asked in a panic as she looked around for danger.

"Nothin' ... nothin's wrong. It's just mornin'." Ranma said gently, cutting her off before she really got going.

She looked up at him and frowned. He was standing over her with a worried expression on his face. She glanced around the room and saw that the sun was up, and that her sisters were no longer in the room. She was the last one to wake. "W'hu ... what happened? Where's—"

"Everythin's fine." Ranma said quietly as he stepped forward and sat down right in front of her. She stared at him hard for a moment, and noticed that he seemed fairly well rested. He was even smiling a bit.

"How did it go last night? How hard did they attack?" She asked as her eyes roamed over his body looking for signs of injury.

He smiled at her. "It was weird. They showed themselves a few times at different spots around the house. The old ghoul even showed herself once. She hopped up on top of a roof across the street and stared at us for a few moments before disappearin' again. But they only attacked once, and it wasn't even when I was awake. The 'Doc says they tried to sneak in once around three in the mornin', and he stopped 'em with Pop after only a little bit of a fight, then they ran away again." He said in a voice that she could tell was confident, but also confused.

She smiled at him. She knew what the Amazons were up to. They were playing the psychological game. The idea was to panic the defenders under siege about when the next major attack was coming. Often attackers laying siege will even send in fake peace envoys while doing so, to rile up the citizens who might demand an attempt at peace. All of it was just designed to unnerve the defenders.

Unfortunately for the Amazons, they aren't dealing with a castle full of panicked farmers. They are dealing with some of the best Martial Artists in the world, and people who would never, ever give up.

 _They aren't going to unnerve any of us_. She thought smugly as she stood up and sniffed the air. She could hear the crackling pops of something frying in the kitchen. Whatever Kasumi was cooking smelled wonderful in the cool morning air.

Her spirits were buoying. _I CAN do this. I AM strong enough_. She said to herself as she reached for his warm hand and started to walk with him towards the stairs. He smiled nervously at her as she nudged him towards the stairs. She smiled back mischievously. He, of course, had no idea what she was intending. Based on her behavior in the recent past, it was fair of him to expect her to try to ... _cuddle_ with him whenever she had him alone to herself. She grinned at him. _Patience little bunny, patience, soon we'll—_

"Ranma! Front door!" Doctor Tofu's voice shouted from outside, interrupting her thoughts.

"What's wrong?" Ranma yelled back as he turned towards the front door and away from the stairs as he let go of her hand and pivoted into a fighting stance.

"Shampoo!" Doctor Tofu's voice called out.

She exchanged a look with Ranma and nodded as he walked towards the front door. She followed quickly at his heels with anger growing in her strongly. _I am getting so tired of these people_. She thought as she followed him. She had been happily gearing up to play with Ranma, maybe even tease him a little as she got dressed. And, of course, the Amazons had to show up and interrupt.

Ranma slid the front door open, and there Shampoo was, just like the other day. Shampoo was standing alone in their walkway, holding her hands out to her sides to show she wasn't armed.

This time though, as soon as Shampoo saw Ranma, she started walking towards the house. Doctor Tofu appeared out of nowhere behind Shampoo and snapped a hand out and arrested Shampoo's motion by grabbing her shoulder.

Shampoo stopped and didn't try to fight him. Instead she called out to the house in a plaintive voice. "I just messenger. I not attack. I promise." The young Chinese girl said in an oddly detached voice, almost robotic, as if Shampoo the person had been replaced by someone, or something, just going through the motions.

She shot a quick look at Shampoo's hands and arms, and noticed that they looked worse in the bright light of the day. Shampoo had suffered greatly already trying to stand in the way of what her elder was obviously hell-bent on pursuing. She found her sympathy for Shampoo waning anyway.

Ranma looked back at her, and she shrugged. Shampoo had yet to participate in the attacks the old ghoul was ordering, and they had actual physical evidence that showed the young Amazon had done all she could to stop the attacks. Shampoo seemed to be determined to stay out of the fighting entirely against the Tendo clan. Of course, that wouldn't stop the young Amazon from marrying Ranma if the opportunity presented itself, but Shampoo seemed to have drawn the line in the sand against attacking his family. She grudgingly respected that, but it was a respect that had limits of endurance.

She opened her mouth to tell Ranma to let her approach, when she heard Daddy's voice from behind her.

"What's all this now, are they finally attacking?" Daddy blustered.

"Nah, it's just Shampoo." Ranma said.

"What's she want?" Akane asked as she stepped into the hall too, followed by Kasumi and Ranma's Dad. The whole family was present now. She closed her mouth, sighed, and let Daddy take control.

He walked past Ranma and stepped through the door and looked Shampoo up and down dismissively. The fighting against the Amazons was the first real fighting Daddy had been involved with in quite a while, and the Tendo clan and its supporters were winning, at least so far. She knew that was going a long way towards bringing Daddy's ego and confidence back up, and it was showing in the cocky way he was strutting around lately.

The head of the Tendo clan head sniffed dismissively at Shampoo and waved her forward. "By all means, deliver your message." He said as he turned his back on her and walked back into the house. It was an insult to turn one's back on a potential enemy. It said that he didn't consider her a threat. She watched the Amazon carefully for a reaction, but saw none. Shampoo the person didn't seem to be present. Shampoo's eyes remained fixed on Ranma, and Shampoo's attention to external details seemed to be almost non-existent.

 _I don't think this is going to be good news_. She thought fatalistically.

As soon as Daddy waved her forward, Shampoo nodded and shook Doctor Tofu's hand off, and walked at a slow pace towards Ranma. Ranma surprised her by backing into the house and standing in the hallway, instead of stepping outside to meet the Amazon.

 _He's bringing her into his home territory. Does he consider her a threat now?_ She thought as she stepped back along with Ranma, to give him the room to give Shampoo room to enter their entryway. She shot a look back at her family and found Daddy frowning at the tactic Ranma was employing. Akane had wide eyes and was watching everything carefully. Genma looked bored, and Kasumi looked ... guarded. Her older sister wasn't smiling her usual welcoming smile.

Shampoo stopped once she had gotten to within a meter of Ranma and was standing in the hallway just inside the door from the entryway. The young Amazon stood there sadly with her hands clasped shaking in front of herself. Now that Shampoo was closer she could tell that the young Chinese girl wasn't gone, and she wasn't being robotic — Shampoo's true self was just being repressed. She could tell simply by looking at Shampoo, that the Amazon girl was fighting as hard as possible to keep something inside.

Ranma stood calmly in front of Shampoo, while still keeping his body positioned so that he was blocking Shampoo's path forward to her. "What do ya want, Shampoo?" He asked in a rough voice.

The young Chinese Warrior raised her head slowly with unshed tears in her eyes and just stared at him for a while, like she was seizing a final opportunity to look at him. If anything, Shampoo's hands started to shake worse. It was very clear that Shampoo was barely holding on as the Amazon began to speak in a timid voice.

"Shampoo have to ... Shampoo have to ..." the young Chinese girl tried to say, but had to stop as her voice caught and tears slipped down her cheeks and the Amazon looked down again and sucked in a deep and shuddering breath. The young Amazon obviously was trying to summon enough control to be able to at least speak. They all just stood there and waited for her to continue.

As she watched Shampoo try to say whatever she'd come to say, she was very aware of the cool air she was pulling in through her nose, her hands balled into fists, and the heat of Ranma right in front of her. The smells of Kasumi's wonderful cooking were still spicing the air all around them, but eating was a distant memory at the moment. She was angry, very angry, and the feeling was growing stronger by the moment.

The mere presence of the Amazon has ruined her peaceful morning with Ranma. _I am so TIRED of this!_ She thought as she watched the Amazon gather herself to say whatever she'd come to say.

Shampoo raised her head again and looked at Ranma with tears still streaming down her cheeks. Shampoo's whole body was shaking now. She knew the kind of pain Shampoo was valiantly trying to keep under control — the kind of pain that struck one in their very soul. She didn't know what was affecting Shampoo so strongly, but she knew that Shampoo wouldn't win the fight, just like she herself hadn't. In the past, she might have felt some sympathy for Shampoo, but she didn't any more. Shampoo was one of them, and she wasn't just tired of them, she was starting to hate them!

"Shampoo is ... Shampoo is, must be saying ... Great Grandmother say me say you, today you last chance. Great Grandmother say ... Grandmother is say mercy been show so far. Tried scare you ... didn't work. Great Grandmother say you is strong opponents, has respect you. Great Grandmother say ... she respect you, I to give message ... Ranma ... " Shampoo had to stop and swallow nervously before she continued. The young Amazon's eyes darted around the room like a cornered animal looking for an escape, then Shampoo continued. "... Ranma is come China with us today, we take him and go. No more fighting. Great Grandmother say ... if ... if Ranma no come, right now ..." Shampoo looked away nervously and bit her lower lip.

The young Amazon's legs were shaking uncontrollably now. Shampoo visibly forced herself to continue in a whisper that shook almost to the point of making what she said next unintelligible. "...iif RRanmma nno ggo rrigght nnoww ... GGreeat GGraanddmotther s-say a-aall T-Tendos .... bbeinng ... k-kiilleeed. I SORRY!" Shampoo added quickly as she sank to her knees once she finished and collapsed down into a bow with her head pressed to the floor and her hands splayed out to either side of her head as she sobbed.

"Enough!" She found herself yelling as the edges of her vision flashed to white and she charged forward past Ranma's guard. She fully intended to throw herself on Shampoo and beat the hell out of her, she woul— _oop_!

Her forward momentum had been arrested by Ranma's quick moving arms. He'd caught her about the waist and shoulders just as she had been lining up her stance to kick at Shampoo. He yanked her quickly backwards out of range of Shampoo and held on to her strongly.

She struggled in his arms fiercely. "Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!" She was getting angrier by the second. _HOW DARE THE AMAZONS ISSUE AN ULTIMATUM LIKE THAT! They're threatening Kasumi now as well? And Akane? My sisters have nothing to do with any of this!_ She thought angrily as she struggled with Ranma to let her go, and she sucked in deep, angry breaths as the urge to fight took control of her.

"Come on, Kiki, stop, it's not her fault." Ranma whispered into her ear.

"I don't care, I don't care, I DON'T CARE!" She screamed as she fought to get to Shampoo. She was _actually_ fighting him now. She threw elbows back into his solar plexus and up to his chin, she stomped on the instep of his foot, and she tried to heel kick him in the groin. She pulled out every dirty trick she knew to get out of a hold from behind with her arms pinned, that Daddy had ever taught her.

Ranma simply took most of the hits or swayed with her to avoid the worst ones and blocked with different parts of his body than she was trying to hit. She was FURIOUS! "Nobody goes after my family! NOBODY! I'll kill her! I'LL KILL ALL OF THEM!" She screamed. She started twisting left and right in his arms to try to throw elbows to his head. "Let me go! LET ME GO NOW!" She commanded him in a shaking voice. The white at the edges of her vision was growing and clouding what she saw even more. In her peripheral vision, as she fought with him, she could see Daddy, Akane and Kasumi staring at her in shock. She knew her family had never seen her act like she was acting, but she didn't care.

Shampoo was sobbing uncontrollably now and sucking air into her open mouth pitifully as the young Amazon's body shuddered violently. Shampoo was crying like a little girl who had skinned her knee. Shampoo's tears were raw tears, ugly tears. The kind of twisted-face heart-wrenching misery on Shampoo's face was the kind that someone would only let someone else see, if they were very young with no filters yet, or they were someone past the point of caring what others thought. Shampoo had extended herself forward on the ground and was reaching towards Ranma as she cried.

But she didn't think Ranma was even looking at the Amazon. Ranma tightened his grip on her until she couldn't really move any more, and she was forced to just stare forward as she felt the blood surge in her veins, and her body shook from the enraged breaths she was still pulling in.

Shampoo pulled herself into a ball and cried until whatever was inside the young Amazon had calmed down enough to just whimper. Ranma still wasn't paying much attention to Shampoo though, as he was having to use the majority of his energy to hold her back. She was still straining against him as hard as she could, to get him to let her go, so she could get to the Amazon who had threatened her family.

"Kiki, c'mon, please ... that's not our way ... stop ... please?" Ranma whispered to her.

She twisted hard in his arms so she was fully facing him and stared him in the eyes as she clenched her fists and drew her lips into a firm line. "YOUR way isn't always _MY_ way. I WON'T stand for ANYONE threatening my family! I WON'T!" She yelled at him. He held her unflinchingly as she snaked her hands up to his chest and pushed with her elbows against the sensitive spots she knew SHOULD make him let her go. "Now... LET. ME. GO!" She screamed. He looked at her with eyes filled with pity and sadness, and shook his head as he tightened his arms around her.

"No. If I let you fight Shampoo the way you are now, and the way she is now, you'll get killed." He whispered to her.

"I will not! LET ME GO!"

"It's over, she's leaving." Akane's voice sounded softly from right next to her. She darted her eyes over to Akane who was looking at her with a very startled expression, then she twisted violently in Ranma's arms again to face outward. Sure enough, Shampoo had picked herself up and was walking slowly towards their gates without a backwards glance. Tofu twitched as she walked past, but let her go untouched.

She screamed after the Amazon in a voice even she knew sounded hysterical. "THIS ISN'T OVER! YOU WANT A WAR? I'LL GIVE YOU ONE!" She screamed at Shampoo's slowly retreating back as Ranma held on to her frantically twisting body as she continued to struggle to break free.

Once Shampoo disappeared through the gates, Daddy spoke up. "Nabiki, that's enough. It's good you're rediscovering your fighting spirit, but there is a time and a place. A wise Martial Artist chooses their fights carefully under conditions to give them the greatest chance at success. It is the foolish Martial Artist who rushes headlong into any fight, at any time, without a plan." He said softly as he placed a hand at the back of her head and stroked gently downward to press her hair into her neck to calm her down.

She shuddered as she released some of her anger, and nodded a moment later as the white around the edges of her vision slowly receded and the white-hot ball of rage inside her cooled a little bit. "All right ... all right, I'm fine, let me go." She said in a calmer voice. Inside she wasn't all that much calmer, but she wasn't stupid enough to go racing outside the walls trying to catch Shampoo to fight her. The heat of the moment had passed.

Ranma looked over at Daddy for a moment, then nodded and relaxed his hold on her. She slid down to fully stand on her own two feet again, and closed her eyes briefly as she tried to center herself. It wasn't working. There was a bright hot ball of rage inside her chest now, and it wasn't going away.

She opened her eyes and looked up into Ranma's eyes... he looked devastated. "I ... I'm sorry ... I had no choice ... I couldn't let you fight her..." He said in a voice that sounded ashamed. She knew he was afraid that he had ruined his chances with her. She had to admit that a part of her wanted to punish him for holding her back. But she was wise enough to know that she wasn't in the best state of mind at the moment. She didn't know what was wrong with her, but she knew it wasn't just simple anger at the situation she found herself in. So she nodded slowly at him and held his gaze. In her eyes she put a message of acceptance tinged with annoyance. She would talk to him later about not interfering with her decisions. But now wasn't the time. Now was the time for a different kind of action.

"I need to make some calls." She said as she turned from Ranma.

"I'll go help Doctor Tofu watch the house." Akane said earnestly as her younger sister moved to exit the front door.

She moved without thinking and reversed her steps as she surged in front of Akane and slapped the wall in front of Akane to block her sister's path. "NO! YOU WON'T! **YOU** STAY **INSIDE**! Let Doctor Tofu do what he is best at! I want you away from the fighting. I am your _elder_ sister, and that's an _**order**_ , _little_ sister!" She yelled at Akane.

Akane's eyes hardened, and her younger sister opened her mouth to argue with her, but she cut her off before Akane could even begin. "These people are _dangerous_ , Akane! They aren't looking to beat you up. They want to _**kill**_ you!" She said in a rising voice. "Only Daddy, Ranma and his Dad, and Doctor Tofu are strong enough to fight them. The rest of us will just get in their way."

Akane opened her mouth to argue with her, but Daddy and Kasumi stepped in quickly.

"It would ... probably be best if you stayed close to Kasumi to protect her, while Saotome and I help Doctor Tofu protect the family, baby." Daddy said as he put a hand on Akane's shoulder.

"Will you ... come up to my room and help me make it more secure?" Kasumi asked Akane in a blatant attempt to placate her.

Akane kept her eyes locked defiantly on her own for another handful of heartbeats, then looked away and closed her mouth on the argument she had obviously been about to make. Akane bowed to the pressure from the family and nodded as she let Kasumi pull her away. Akane shifted her eyes to Ranma and kept them locked on him in a silent plea for him to call her back to help defend the family. He kept his gaze stubbornly on the floor as Akane was led away. Akane didn't stop looking to him to support her, until Kasumi finally pulled her out of sight.

With the issue of Akane fighting settled, she slipped out of the entryway and rushed into the kitchen for the phone extension there. She ran into the kitchen so fast that she actually slammed into the wall next to the phone and bounced back from the wall as she stumbled to catch her footing. As she did so she accidentally knocked the phone off its stand, and it clattered to the kitchen tiles.

 _Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!_ She swore to herself as the hot ball of rage inside her flared up again, and she kicked the wall repeatedly in mindless anger. A few moments later she stopped kicking and moved to slam her fist into the wall instead as she swore at anything and nothing in a combination of mindless rage, frustration, fear, and shame. She knew she wasn't handling things well at all, but she didn't have any other tools at her disposal to deal with how she was feeling.

She bit her lower lip and forced herself to stop hitting the wall. She turned around and leaned against it for a moment before she let out a shuddering breath and allowed herself to slide down the wall and to sink into a sitting position.

Once she had her breathing under control, she reached over and yanked the phone's handset to herself by the cord. She pressed the reset button to stop the handset-off-cradle tone, and waited for the dial tone. Then she dialed a long and complicated number from memory.

"Hello. This is Nabiki Tendo calling for Nagai."

She waited in silence as various people routed her call to the correct person. Once he answered she continued.

"Hello. Yes, it's time. I'm calling in the debt." There was only one debt she could be calling him for, and they both knew what it was.

She listened to his response and smiled a small smile. Just hearing his voice was calming her down.

"The best you have." She answered him. "As fast as you can." She added to his followup question. He spoke for a little bit longer, and she memorized everything he told her, especially the codes her gave her. When he finished, she smiled. "Thank you, I'll be waiting." She said as her spirits lifted.

As soon as she hung up the phone, she immediately started calling another number. She had a few more friends and business contacts to call. She was done playing the victim with the Amazons. She could be extremely dangerous when she wanted to. _And by God, I WANT TO_. She growled to herself.

***

When she was done making calls she slipped upstairs unseen by her family and quickly went through her usual morning routine. By the time she walked back down the stairs, she was feeling very refreshed, and much more like her usual self.

 _It's amazing what taking action can do for one's outlook on life when faced with a serious problem_. She thought happily as she looked for Ranma. She couldn't find him. She wandered into the dining room and sat down to eat. Kasumi was there doing her usual thing, in addition to carefully watching Doctor Tofu through the open porch doors.

She sat down at the table and ate quickly. She wanted to get back up and find Ranma and apologize to him for losing control. As soon as she was done she stood up quickly and took a step away from the table. Kasumi's voice stopped her.

"He went on a quick walk with Akane. He'll be back in a minute." Kasumi said softly.

She swung her eyes back to her sister in a panic. "A walk? What, they're out for a stroll with those crazy Amazons out there?!" She demanded.

Kasumi shrugged. "I think it was Ranma's way of making up for not supporting Akane wanting to help fight. Father said it was all right for them to make a quick check around the outside of the walls, to make sure nothing was wrong with the walls." Kasumi said in a neutral voice.

She could tell Kasumi didn't believe that story any more than she did.

 _Have I lost him? Is it over? Is he slipping back to Akane?_ She thought dejectedly as she swung her gaze out the doors and walked numbly to the porch. She sat down and just stared at the walls, lost in her fears.

Ranma's voice brought her back out of her reverie. She didn't know how long she had been lost in thought, but she did know that Ranma's voice sounded worried.

"—o me, Akane!" She heard Ranma yell again.

Her head snapped up. A moment later, Ranma jumped over the wall with his arm around Akane. He landed and pulled Akane quickly behind himself.

Akane was clutching her shoulder and leaning heavily on one side, as if she couldn't put weight on the other side.

"What—" She started to say.

"Down!" Doctor Tofu interrupted her. He appeared out of nowhere and tackled her and rolled off the porch with her quickly as something impacted where she had been sitting.

When she could see again, her breath caught in her throat. Amazons were pouring over the wall. There were dozens of them.

Ranma had his arms out protectively as he stood in front of Akane and backed up with her. Doctor Tofu was on his feet doing the same thing with her. She looked back into the dining room quickly, but didn't see Kasumi. She didn't have much time to wonder where Kasumi had gone though, as she realized that some of the Amazons were ignoring Ranma and Akane and were heading straight towards her.

"Father!" She heard Kasumi yell further into the house. A moment later she heard heavy male footsteps running towards Kasumi in the house.

"Pops, get out here!" Ranma yelled as he continued to back up towards the house. Ranma had to be worried if he was calling for his dad. She knew how much he disliked Genma.

On an unspoken signal, the Amazons charged to attack at the same time. She had just managed to get to her feet and put her hands up into a fighting stance, and tapped into her own battle aura like Ranma had shown her. But she didn't need to. Doctor Tofu was like a wall in front of her. It was the first time she had ever seen him fight up-close.

Ranma was extremely good.

Doctor Tofu was dramatically better.

Amazons approached him, and then simply weren't there any more. Most of them he just dropped to his feet by disabling them with various pressure points. Some he sent flying to crash into the wall when they rushed him in greater numbers.

She looked over at Ranma and focused, and saw him with a large yellow battle aura dancing across his skin as he protected Akane. Her little sister was still on her feet, and she could tell Akane wanted to help, but Ranma was totally focused on fighting, and not letting anything through to Akane. His face was rapidly changing into the same scary one he had used yesterday when dealing with the ambush. His eyes were darkening as she watched.

Ranma's father burst out of the house at that point and centered himself between Ranma and Doctor Tofu, and took the heat off of both of them. The older Saotome looked annoyed, but he fought very well.

Ranma was fighting as hard as she had ever seen him fight. It was very clear he was determined to keep the Amazons from touching Akane. Every time Akane moved a bit to try to take on one of the Amazons, Ranma simply shifted his stance, and pushed or pulled the battle with him to get back in front of Akane.

Tears sprang into her eyes to see him fighting so hard for them. Even though he wasn't being hurt, she still shook from the emotion of watching him risk his life for them. He really didn't owe them anything. He was doing it because he wanted to. Because he loved them. She didn't know if he loved Akane more than her, but she knew he loved them. She knew, she absolutely _knew_ that Ranma would die before he let them be harmed. Just like she knew Doctor Tofu and Daddy felt the same way.

The fight was over in under a minute. Ranma and Doctor Tofu hadn't let a single attacker through to either Akane or herself, and Genma had cleaned up the rest of them. Doctor Tofu excused himself as soon as it was done and nodded to Genma who nodded back and stepped in front of her. Doctor Tofu was most likely on his way to go check on Kasumi.

She stayed in place and watched Ranma with longing in her heart. She opened her mouth to say something to him, but closed it again softly as he leaned down and put his hand on Akane's shoulder and whispered something to her little sister. Akane nodded her head shakily. He smiled and stood up straight as he held his hand down for Akane to grab. Akane did so and he pulled her little sister to her feet. Then he kept pulling and swept Akane into a hug that brought Akane's feet off the ground.

 _He's picking Akane up!_ She thought in shock as her muscles seized up, and her breath froze in her throat. Akane stiffened in his arms for a moment, then relaxed and sank into the hug as she laid her head onto his shoulder. She could tell they were whispering to each other as Ranma held her little sister.

The dragon inside of her had fallen out of the sky and lay paralyzed on the ground, near death. He wasn't just slipping away from her. It seemed that she'd lost him. She turned around quickly so he wouldn't be able to see her cry as she hurried away from them. She suddenly felt like she was intruding on a very private moment. She heard Genma make a noise like he was about to call her back, but then he silenced himself wisely.

She rounded the corner of the house and opened their front door as she tried to get away from what she'd just seen. She wasn't really looking where she was going. She was close to hyperventilating as she tried to keep herself from crying until she got to someplace private. She ran through the entryway towards the stairs and ran headfirst into Kasumi in the hallway.

She rebounded off Kasumi and looked at her big sister in confusion. Her mind was shutting down. She couldn't operate on a polite personal level right now. She ducked her head down so Kasumi couldn't see her face and mumbled an apology as she tried to dart around her sister for the stairs.

Kasumi surprised her by slapping her hand hard into the wall and blocking her path — just like she herself had done to Akane earlier. She looked up at Kasumi with a mixture of anger and bewilderment. Kasumi met her angry gaze with a peaceful and loving look. "It's not too late, Nabiki. Don't give up. Don't let him slip away. Don't make the same mistake I made." Kasumi whispered to her fiercely.

"What mistake?! You keep hinting at this thing that happened to you, but you never talk about it! WHAT IS THIS GRAND LESSON YOU WANT ME TO LEARN?!" She whispered back in a voice that teetered on the edge of hysteria. She was almost out of control.

Kasumi smiled sadly at her and reached her hand out for hers. She allowed her older sister to take her hand. Kasumi immediately pulled on her hand and started to lead her upstairs. "Let's talk." Kasumi said softly over her shoulder in a voice heavy with emotion.


	51. No Time

[soundtrack for this one was: _Stolen Dance_ , by **Milky Chance** ]

Kasumi pulled Nabiki gently after her up the stairs and into her room. She felt a burning feeling inside herself. She couldn't seem to hold still. She wanted to hit, to yell, to do something to make the feeling go away. Kasumi sat her down unceremoniously on her bed and pushed her back down again when she tried to rise from the soft mattress. She sighed and stayed seated as her older sister joined her on the opposite end of the bed while she fidgeted and tried to hold still as her insides tore themselves apart.

She was just barely hanging on in her fight against breaking down into tears. Kasumi looked at her with an expression that was half exasperation and half stern reproach for a moment, before she spoke.

"I told you, didn't I? I told you not to play games, and to hold on to him tightly." Kasumi said in an unusual voice. It wasn't an angry voice, but it wasn't the sickly-sweet tone Kasumi usually used around the house. It was ... Kasumi's real voice.

"B-But I wasn't playing games." She replied uncertainly as she tried to recover from the shock of Kasumi's change in demeanor. It was unnerving her to hear Kasumi speaking in her real voice. She hadn't heard Kasumi's real voice since before Mom died.

"By helping Akane, you most certainly did. You leveled the playing field and gave Akane a fair chance." Kasumi pressed her, not without pity, but not with leniency either.

"Well, sure, but that's only fai—"

"THERE IS NO FAIR IN LOVE! WAR IS LESS CUTTHROAT THAN LOVE!" Kasumi yelled and cut her off. She blinked in surprise as Kasumi continued in a slightly softer tone. 

"There is only win and lose in love. THERE IS NO SECOND PLACE! Second place is the first person shut out in the cold, alone." Kasumi said sternly.

"I didn't—"

"Of course you didn't mean to. Because you are a decent person, despite what you try to make people believe, and you didn't want Akane to suffer. I don't want Akane to suffer either. But did you ever stop to think about your own suffering? What about Ranma's? Speaking of Ranma, he doesn't want anyone to suffer either. How's that been working out for him? Has it been solving a lot of problems?" Kasumi demanded sarcastically. She was in shock, Kasumi was NEVER sarcastic!

"N-no..." She stammered, completely off-balance.

"Exactly. Contests of the heart are for keeps, Nabiki. You have to be certain, and once you _know_ , you have to fight like it is your life on the line. Because if you _know_ , then it IS your life on the line. If he is the one for you, and you _know_ , then he _is_ your life, and you should be his. And if that's true, then he is the other part of you, the rest of you that you need to be complete. That was the rest of the message I think Mother intended to give us. I've figured it out on my own, over time, because of my own stupid mistakes. You can't show mercy when you are fighting for the one you love. You can't take prisoners, and you sure as hell shouldn't play games or help your opponents." Kasumi said bitterly.

"But, Akane—"

"Had her chance. Nabiki. She HAD her chance. You and I have both known, for a long time now, almost since the day that boy showed up, that Akane has deep and strong feelings for him. All she had to do, to win him and keep him, was to admit to herself she had those feelings, and admit it to him too. She didn't even have to be the one to go first. He demonstrated on a number of occasions that he was willing to go first, he was just looking for a sign from her. Instead, she kept him at a distance, and never fully trusted him, because she didn't _know_. I blame myself for that a bit, I should have trained Akane like Mother tried to train us, when Akane was much younger. But, I didn't. And when it became an issue because of Ranma, I hesitated. I hesitated because I knew something Akane didn't know ... I knew about how you felt." Kasumi said more gently.

She looked up sharply at her older sister in shock.

"Oh, don't look so surprised. You aren't nearly as good at hiding your feelings as you seem to think you are. I have known you since you were a baby, Nabiki. I could tell immediately that you had strong feelings for him as well. Your feelings for him were actually obvious to me before Akane's were. You just never acted on them. You buried them down deep, out of respect for Akane, and you denied they existed, even to yourself. I think that was why you teased him so much, though, and why you took pictures of him, and generally poked at him. It was your only safe way of interacting with him ... until Akane gave his engagement to you anyway." Kasumi pressed her.

She blinked at Kasumi in wide-mouthed shock. Her older sister had apparently been able to read her like a book. Kasumi smiled at her.

"I watched you do everything in your power to give him back to Akane, but to keep your own honor, and to make Akane admit her feelings. It was because Akane refused to do that, that your own feelings finally broke loose, Nabiki. And you've been wearing those feelings on your sleeve since then, you know. Everyone in the family, except for Akane, and I think she is starting to understand now, can see it in your eyes when you look at him. We can see it when you hold hands with him, and when he holds you, or you hold him. You _love_ him, Nabiki. You are head-over-heels silly in love with him." Kasumi said with a gentle smile.

Her breath was coming in small gasps as tears streamed down her cheeks and she shuddered as the emotions Kasumi was hitting with a hammer rang out sharply inside her.

"Maybe I do ... but I think I've lost him." She whispered dejectedly as she brought her knees up to her chest and clutched them to herself on her older sister's bed. Kasumi shook her head fiercely.

"Not yet, not yet you haven't. He hasn't told anybody he's chosen them, he hasn't said he loves anyone. All he's done is hug Akane, and protect her. Same as he has done in the past for Akane, before your feelings ever got involved. He genuinely does care for Akane, you know. If left alone, I think those two might eventually be able to spark a relationship into a full fire and find love. But they could also end up burning themselves and everyone around them as well. They could end up being an _incredible_ love story, or one of the _worst_ tragedies this town has ever witnessed. But, for right now, as long as you don't repeat my mistake, you still have a chance." Kasumi said softly.

"And ... what WAS your mistake?" She whispered as she looked up at her elder sister.

Kasumi looked away for a moment, then looked back with eyes that had slipped from behind the mask her older sister usually wore. Kasumi's eyes were haunted. "You can't fully understand it yet, because you aren't fully here right now." Kasumi whispered.

"I'm not, fully...?" She stammered, as she tried to understand what Kasumi was saying.

"I can't explain it to you, because you are literally lacking the parts of yourself that would allow you to understand." Kasumi said with a soft smile.

"Then, how—" 

"I think you will understand on your own, soon enough. I actually kind of wish that you didn't have to, but I don't think it's up to you any more. I think events have been set in motion that are going to force you to understand, whether you want to or not." Kasumi said sadly as she reached over and rubbed her hand gently.

"Ok, well, what mistake did you—"

"I did the same damn thing you have been trying to do." Kasumi said in a surprisingly bitter voice. "I didn't fight for him, I played games ... I didn't understand." Kasumi whispered through clenched teeth.

"Doctor To—"

"Yes, him, Doctor Tofu, Tofu Ono, the man who was in love with me, and I ruined it!" Kasumi said in a rising, almost hysterical, voice.

"He's still in love with you, though!" She protested.

"Is he? Are you sure? Have you seen him speak to me like a human being since you were older than fourteen?" Kasumi asked vehemently in a voice heavy with negative emotion.

She thought about it and realized that Doctor Tofu had been doing his weird act around Kasumi for several years now ... since she had been about ... fourteen, when Kasumi would have been ... sixteen... marriage age. Had Doctor Tofu...she looked up sharply at Kasumi with wide eyes.

Kasumi nodded at her. "Yes, he asked."

"Why..." She asked as she fought back tears. She wasn't even thinking of her own misery about Ranma now, she was barely able to keep herself from lunging for Kasumi and rocking her older sister in her lap to comfort her. She could _feel_ how miserable Kasumi was.

"Why? That's a good question. The answer to it is part of what you don't understand yet. But the rest of it is, plain and simple, I thought he was just being nice to me, because Mother died. I didn't take the time to talk to him, to find out his real feelings. Instead, I played games with him, I tested him, and I pushed him away. I even suggested that he date other people and ask me again later." Kasumi said in a voice filled with hate. She could tell that the hate was directed inward though, instead of outward.

"And he..."

"He tried for a while, as I stupidly played with him. Every little cut I gave him, he endured. I admit, at the time, I didn't take it all that seriously. It was flattering that he was interested in me, though. Who wouldn't be flattered? A young, handsome doctor fresh out of medical school, and he was interested in me? I did things like having him meet me after school in public so people could see him out with me. I asked him to bring me flowers at school. Things like that." Kasumi whispered in a shamed voice.

"Oh ... Kasumi..." She whispered. She didn't really know what to say to that, her heart was breaking for Kasumi.

Kasumi smiled softly at her. "Don't bother crying about it, I have already done enough of that for several lifetimes." Kasumi said bitterly.

"So ... he ... gave up?" She asked quietly.

Kasumi looked at her and nodded. "Eventually, he stopped visiting, he stopped talking to me, he just ... stopped. After a while, I went to visit him, to see what was going on. In my foolishness I honestly thought he had been sick, or just very busy at work. It never even occurred to me that he would give up. It never even really occurred to me that he ... had feelings too." Kasumi said sadly.

"And he started..."

"Yes. He looked past me. He spoke to that stupid skeleton of his. He danced around and acted goofy. At first I thought he was just playing around. But after a few days of it, I realized it wasn't just a simple game. He was doing everything he could to pretend that it had never happened ... and he has been doing it ever since." Kasumi whispered sadly.

"And that was when you realized..."

"Yes, that was when I realized I had real feelings for him. The rest of the things involved from our past were a part of him, and a part of me, but it was no reason to have pushed him away." Kasumi said as her older sister closed her eyes and a tear slipped down her cheek.

"The rest of—"

"I hope you never actually understand, Nabiki. In a way, I envy you. You have been able to accomplish something that I think would make my life a lot easier. I wish I could do what you do. If you ever do understand though, the rest of it will be obvious to you." Kasumi whispered.

She was both very sad for Kasumi, and also extremely confused. She was also afraid. It sounded like Kasumi knew something and thought she _should_ know it, but didn't, for some reason. Kasumi seemed to think that she would be able to understand whatever that missing thing was though, but seemed sad about it. That meant that it was something ... bad. But what could it be? She looked over at Kasumi and found her sister looking at her sadly.

She let out a slow, shaky breath and nodded as Kasumi smiled and scooted closer to her. Her older sister pulled her sideways into her arms and just held her for a while.

"You know I can't just do nothing about this." She whispered to Kasumi.

"I know."

"Now that I know, I have to talk to him." She whispered with a note of anger in her voice.

"I know." Kasumi said again.

"I won't if you forbid me to, but I'd really like to try to knock some sense into him." She said.

"Go ahead. I've tried plenty of times, it never works. Maybe he'll listen to you." Kasumi replied gently, but with a small note of bitterness in her voice.

There was silence between them for a few moments, before Kasumi spoke up again as her older sister leaned back away from her. "But, anyway, aside from all of that, how are you? It's been a while since we've talked." Kasumi asked gently. "Would you like to catch up?"

She looked up into her older sister's eyes which were shimmering kindly at her and smiled weakly. "Yes ... I'd like that." She whispered.

***

Nabiki left Kasumi's room a little while later. She didn't feel better, but she felt stable now. Her mind was still reeling from what Kasumi had told her about Doctor Tofu though. She made her way slowly down the stairs and leaned heavily on the banister as she thought about everything she and Kasumi had talked about.

Just as she was reaching the bottom of the stairs, Doctor Tofu walked past and nodded to her. She was moving before the thought even registered to do so.

She sprinted towards him as the hot ball of rage in her chest roared back to full life. He spun around right before she got to him, and she saw battle-readiness in his eyes quickly fade to confusion when he realized it was her rushing at him. He dropped his hands from a fighting position just before she reached him.

She slammed into him and tackled him into the wall with her shoulder. He crashed into the wall and she bounced back from the hit and immediately slapped her hands out to his shoulders and pushed him hard back into the wall again.

Intellectually she knew that the only reason she was able to move him at all, was because he was letting her. That didn't change how she felt though. She was dangerously close to being out of control.

She paused for a moment as she fought the anger inside herself to the point where she could access the rest of her emotions and intellect. She was furious with him! She didn't know why she was so upset, it wasn't even her love life that he was involved with, but she was still enraged. She wanted to hurt him, badly. She knew she had tears in her eyes, but they were tears of anger, not sadness. Instead of hurting him, she summoned her iron willpower as she dragged her eyes up to his and growled at him.

"You...how _dare_ you..." She began, but had to pull in another deep breath to steady herself again.

"What are you doing? What is the matter with you?!" He said with a note of annoyance in his voice.

"Stop it! Just STOP IT! Quit punishing her! She's sorry, all right?! She was young, and stupid, and she made a mistake! I know you still love her. I KNOW YOU DO!" She yelled at him as she tightened her hands at his shoulders into fists and gripped the warm fabric of his gi, and any skin that was in the way, tightly.

As soon as she was done speaking, she could see him start to slip into his defensive act. His glasses started to shimmer, and his gaze went soft. He was starting to phase out.

"LOOK AT ME! DON'T YOU DARE DO YOUR LITTLE ACT! LOOK AT ME!" She screamed at him. He blinked and actually stopped slipping into his act.

"You listen to me, she still loves you, and I know you still love her. What is the matter with you?! How dare you continue to punish her for mistakes she made when she was only sixteen! You go to her, you get on your hands and knees, and you BEG her to take you back. If you don't, so help me God, I will do everything in my power to find her a man who is worthy of her, and you will lose your chance forever." She growled at him as she pulled his face closer to hers so their noses were almost touching.

He stared at her in shock. She knew part of her outburst was because of her own frustration and fear about Ranma. But even if Ranma had proposed to her this morning, she knew she would still be upset with Doctor Tofu at the moment.

"Nabiki... I ... I ... how do you, I'm not—" He stammered.

"She just told me. And now that I know, this is going to end, and I mean soon! I owe her at least that much. If you don't put aside your pride and your little hurt bunny feelings and do the right thing by her, then I will never forgive you. As it is, now that I know what has been going on, you disgust me. How DARE you do that to her for so long! And she's stayed faithful to you all this time, just putting her life on hold, hoping you would change your mind."

She leaned in even closer to him, and brought his nose to hers. "If you don't fix it, I WILL. Kasumi DESERVES to be happy. And I have the power to make that happen for her. You have until the end of the week to grow up and make your choice, or I will make it for you. You should know me well enough by now to know that is a promise that I WILL keep." She released him then and walked away without another word or a backwards glance.

She found Ranma waiting for her in the dining room chatting quietly with Daddy. Akane was nowhere to be seen. Ranma and Daddy both turned to her as she entered the room. Daddy raised an eyebrow at her, while Ranma actually spoke up.

"What was that all about?" He asked her quizzically.

She smiled softly at him. "Don't worry about it, just needed to set some things straight with Doctor Tofu." She said carefully.

Ranma nodded, but Daddy continued to look at her askance. She avoided his gaze. She had a feeling he knew _exactly_ what she had been yelling about. She didn't know how he felt about the situation though.

She sighed and looked around the room pointedly. "Where's Akane?" She asked.

"Oh, she's upstairs gettin' dressed 'n stuff." Ranma answered easily.

"Oh ... should we wait for her?" She asked reluctantly. She didn't really want to, but she couldn't very well insist on leaving Akane behind.

"You two go on ahead. I will escort Akane to school, or Doctor Tofu will. She may not be feeling up to going to school today anyway." Daddy said kindly.

Ranma nodded hesitantly and stepped towards the doors. He stopped after a couple of steps and looked back at her. She saw him out of her peripheral vision, but she was busy looking at Daddy. He was smiling at her gently. She locked eyes with him and pushed back on his plan a bit.

"Are you sure, Daddy? Aren't you and Doctor Tofu tired?" She asked.

"I'm sure, baby. Trust me, after the training I endured when I was Ranma's age, what's been going on the last few days has been easy enough to get used to. Go ahead, I will see to Akane's safety." He said in a tone that didn't encourage further debate, even though it was a kind tone.

She nodded and stepped towards Ranma who reached his hand out for hers. She held her hand out hesitantly, and he grasped it warmly and firmly. Like nothing had changed. Like she hadn't seen him holding Akane earlier.

_Of course ... he doesn't know I saw ... does he?_ She asked herself as she allowed him to pull her along and out of their family's lands into the street.

She wasn't nervous as they walked. Ranma would never let anyone hurt her. Even if the Amazons attacked with an entire army, Ranma wouldn't let that stop him. She walked next to him in a daze.

Everything that was happening felt abstract to her. She felt detached from reality. And she kept getting weird flashes of anger. She felt like she was coming apart at the seams. It was like her life was something she was watching happen to someone else. All it seemed she was able to do lately, was watch events unfold, like a bystander. It was the same kind of helpless feeling one got when watching a tragedy happen, like when witnessing a car crash. She might as well not even be present for most of the things that had happened, for all she could do about them.

After a few more blocks of dwelling on her self pity, she sighed and tried to strike up a conversation with him. She'd rather try to talk with him than focus on her fears and worries.

"Do you think Shampoo was serious? Do you think they have only been trying to scare us up to now?" She asked.

He looked over at her and shrugged. "I dunno. It felt like they were holdin' back in earlier fights. This mornin' though ... that felt much more real. I don't know if they'd actually kill ... but they weren't holdin' back either." He said softly as he resumed scanning for danger.

"Do you think we could try to reason with them?" She asked.

"Nah, not now. Maybe earlier, but now I think the old ghoul's pride is involved and it's too late. Besides, unless we found Shampoo or the old ghoul, we couldn't even talk to them to try to reason with 'em anyway." He said grimly.

"Actually..." She trailed off softly as she realized she was tipping her hand about her secret.

"Oh, are you admitting to it now?" He asked with a smirk on his face.

"To what?" She asked as she eyed him suspiciously.

"That you understand Chinese?" He said smugly.

"How did you..."

"You used it on the roof that day Shampoo's sister grabbed ya." He said calmly as he went back to looking around for danger.

"Oh ... you noticed that?"

He looked back at her with amusement on his face. "Of course I noticed." Was all he said with a small grin.

She grinned back despite herself. He really was much sharper than people gave him credit for. "Yes, I know Chinese Mandarin. I am also not half bad with Cantonese or Korean as well." She admitted in a whisper.

"Why the secret?" He asked.

"It can be ... very useful ... when negotiating with people. Many people will switch to their native language and hold what they think is a private conversation right in front of someone they think doesn't understand them. I have avoided bad deals, and even escaped possibly dangerous situations because I understand languages nobody knows I know." She whispered.

"I see..."

"So, please keep that fact to yourself." She asked him.

He nodded solemnly. "I promise, I won't tell nobody." He said sincerely.

"Thank you." She whispered back. They walked together in a comfortably silence for another couple of blocks before she spoke up again. "So, anyway, do you think I could talk to them and convince them to call it off?"

Ranma looked over at her and opened his mouth to say someone mocking or sarcastic, she could see it in his eyes, but he closed his mouth slowly and didn't say it. It was nice to see him starting to learn to control what he said.

He pulled in a deep breath, and then tried again. "No, I don't think we can talk our way out of this. The only way I think we can end this nicely now, is if I agreed ta marry Shampoo and go back to China with them, and I ain't doin that." He said stubbornly.

"I have access to all sorts of things. I can use money, property, or political favors, maybe I could bribe them?" She asked, knowing the answer he would give, but she wanted to bounce the idea around anyway.

Ranma shook his head solemnly. "You've seen how strong they are. If they wanted money or land, they could just take 'em. I don't know what a politician would be able to do for 'em either. They have their village in China, that's where they want to be, and they want me there too. I don't think they care about much else." Ranma said glumly.

She nodded in agreement and sighed. It didn't seem like there was a way out of the situation they were in without using violence. That was all right though, the Tendo clan was not defenseless, and not without resources. As she had told Shampoo earlier, if they wanted a war, the Tendos would give it to them.

She walked the rest of the way to school side by side with Ranma. They didn't hold hands on their way, like they had done in the past. But that was because she ignored him the few times he reached his hand out to her. She just didn't ... feel like holding hands at the moment. She didn't feel right. She didn't know what was wrong with her, but she knew that something wasn't right. She sighed and just kept walking. She was running on mostly pure willpower these days.

They reached the school and Ranma dropped her off at her classroom, and they hugged briefly, but she still felt detached, and almost surreal. She looked into his eyes and saw her Ranma there. The same Ranma who had picked up Akane earlier ... but still her Ranma. She could see in his eyes the things he wasn't willing to say to her. But, instead of that making her feel happy, it just made her ache. Something was definitely wrong with her.

_Not like that's any big news, there's been something wrong with me for a long time now_. She thought to herself as she took her seat and braced herself to endure another day at school while her life was in upheaval.

***

That afternoon Ranma picked her up at her classroom at the lunch bell. She had waited alone for him. Riko and Yui had gone ahead to drop some things off for a club. She was fine waiting alone though. It just meant that she didn't have to pretend that she was all right. She was well aware of the fact that she wasn't all right, and she knew her friends and family knew too. She just wished she knew why she felt the way she did. All she knew was that she was feeling increasingly bad, and at the same time incredibly good whenever she was around Ranma.

She walked side by side with him through the halls and towards the sports fields where her tree was. She deliberately forced herself to focus on the people around them as they walked. Because she was forcing herself to notice, she picked up on the people trying to flag her down to do business with her this time.

She saw some of her regular picture buyers with hopeful looks in their eyes, and cash in their hands. She frowned and shook her head at them. She saw some of her regulars in the information game give her quizzical looks, but she shrugged at them. She hadn't checked her information sources since everything with Ranma had started, she had no new information to sell. 

Several people also approached her and asked for various things she could arrange or fix, in exchange for a favor. She just said one word to all of them. "Riko." They nodded hesitantly at her and moved on. Riko hadn't usually been in charge of that aspect of her business, and it was unusual for her to defer to Riko for that. But she just didn't feel like handling any of the old business stuff that she had handled in the past — at least not at the moment.

She looked over at him and sighed as he looked back and reached for her hand. She smiled nervously and let him grasp her hand. His hand was warm. She pulled on his hand and pulled him right next to her. She slipped her hand out of his and slid it around his waist and laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes briefly as they walked. She was feeling overwhelmed.

"You all right?" He whispered to her.

"Same as I've been the last few days." She whispered back with her eyes still closed as they walked.

"That bad huh?" He asked with a touch of humor in his voice. She could tell he was trying to lift her spirits. She loved that he was kind like that, and that he wanted to help. But it wasn't doing anything to take the weight off her chest.

"Don't worry, Saotome, I've been through way worse than this." She said with some bravado as she opened her eyes and lifted her head up.

She smiled softly as they came within view of their tree and let go of him. Riko was laying across the bench on her side and looking at them imperiously in a Cleopatra pose. Yui was leaning up against the tree and eating quietly.

As soon as they stepped under the shade of the tree, Riko jumped up from the bench, squealed happily, and ran up to Ranma and tackled him. Ranma went down to the ground with Riko squirming in his arms. She smiled at the sight of it. She knew that Ranma had gone down because he'd chosen to, probably to prevent Riko from hurting herself by crashing into him.

Riko attacked his face with kisses and chirped happily to him. "You did it, you did it, you did it!"

"Did what?" Ranma asked in a tone that was half embarrassment, half confusion.

"You saved my Kiki-chan!" Riko said as she started kissing his nose, his jaw, his ear, everywhere, really. Ranma was waving his hands to his sides to show he wasn't encouraging it. She noted with a smirk that Ranma hadn't booted Riko off of himself though.

Riko started to get into it and began grinding her hips into his as she shifted from silly playful kisses to more passionate ones on his lips and neck.

Riko was actually rather sexually aggressive when she wanted to be. She knew Riko wouldn't go too far, but poor Ranma already seemed like he was starting to stroke out. Riko started biting his lower lip as she kissed him. She had to admit, it annoyed her a little that Ranma wasn't fighting Riko off more ... strenuously. She was mostly annoyed with herself that she'd set that stupid week-long timer on kissing him again.

_Better stop her before she gets too enthusiastic_. She thought as she stepped forward. _Oop — too late_. She thought, a little more annoyed as she watched them.

"Atta girl, Riko! Get 'im!" Yui cheered from her new seat on the bench. She rolled her eyes as she reached the two of them, lifted up her foot, set it on Riko's hip, and half kicked, half pushed her friend off him.

Riko slid off him, but pulled his face with her and continued to kiss him as she hooked one of his ankles with her left leg and stayed entwined with him. Ranma's arms were pinwheeling to the sides now. She grinned at that. Annoyed as she was, it was always entertaining to watch Ranma lose it.

She thought about physically pulling Riko off him, but decided to test Ranma instead.

"On your feet, Saotome!" She called out to him.

He moved instantly and popped to his feet. She knew in social situations he preferred to just have someone tell him what to do, since he didn't know. Since Riko had been laying across one of his arms, he simply pulled her up into his arms and held her. Riko was still enthusiastically kissing him.

"Detach the girl, Saotome." She called out next.

Ranma pushed his arms as far away from himself as he could, but Riko just lunged for him again, and stayed attached. She knew that Riko was genuinely just trying to show him how thankful she was that he'd saved her oldest friend. She also knew that it was all a big game to Riko.

Ranma looked at her with wide eyes past Riko's head. She knew he didn't want to hurt her friend, so most of the stuff he knew for dealing with someone on him in close quarters wouldn't help him.

"Use that speed of yours, Ranma. Impress me." She called to him.

He nodded and then started rapidly moving Riko's limbs and pulling her gently off him. Riko kept re-grabbing him, so his speed increased until it became a semi-blur. A moment later he had Riko sitting in one of his hands, looking startled and with her arms wrapped around her knees.

He leaned down and set Riko on the ground gently, then backed away to stand behind herself. His movements seemed to be almost fearful. She wondered if he was more afraid of his imagined reaction from her, or of Riko's continued attention.

Riko popped up to her feet, squealed joyfully, and turned to him as she yelled happily. "Again again again!"

She let Riko get to within a few steps of him, then held her hand out and stopped her. "That's enough; you're going to break him."

"Aww, come on, Kiki. I'll be gentle, I promiiiiiise." Riko said as she tucked both her hands under her chin and looked at her with puppy dog eyes.

"No. Be a good girl. Go sit over there." She said as she stuck her tongue out at and pointed to the bench.

Riko frowned and walked sadly to the bench in her best mope, complete with dragging feet and sad looks over her shoulder. The girl's acting skills were unparalleled.

Once Riko had sat down, Ranma poked his head out over her shoulder and just blinked at Riko. Riko winked at him and growled playfully as she clawed the air with imaginary cat claws.

Yui grabbed Riko's hands out of the air and slowly and firmly put them back into Riko's lap. "And this ... is why we don't take Riko to nice places with us very often." Yui said with amusement.

"Hey, listen, you two can go to all the art galleries you want, just leave me with Ranma when you do, okay?" Riko said as she made eyes at Ranma.

Ranma retreated back behind her. She wondered if he was just being shy, if he just wanted her to handle it, or if he thought Riko might lose interest if she lost sight of him. She smiled. Leave it to Riko to use sexual inappropriateness to cheer her up. Damn if the girl didn't usually know just what buttons to press on her to make her feel better, at least for a while.

"No, bad Riko. My Ranma, get your own." She said in a silly voice.

"Aww, come'on, Kiki. You can share! He's just all kinds of yummy. That boy may not be very experienced, but he sure can get a girl's motor running. You know what I mean? _Unf_!" Riko said in low voice as she bit her lower lip and winked at Ranma who was peering out over her shoulder again.

She rolled her eyes at Riko's theatrics. She knew that Riko wasn't actually suggesting sharing Ranma. She also knew Riko wasn't trying to take him. Riko was just ... overly enthusiastic ... would be one way to put it.

"Be good or I'm going to demote you to Lieutenant first-class, and put Yui in charge of you." She said happily.

"Fiiiiiiiiine." Riko said as she folded her arms across her chest and pouted.

Ranma emerged from behind her slowly. Riko looked over at him and smiled a slow, wolfish, grin and let out another growled _unf_! Riko then blew a kiss at him, and turned back to her and folded her hands into her lap and attempted to look innocent.

She rolled her eyes. "What am I going to do with you, Riko?"

"Buy me a pony?" Riko suggested helpfully.

"I don't know about a pony, but I'm considering getting a riding crop to keep you in line." She said sternly.

"You are just no fun at all today." Riko said in an exaggerated pout.

"Might have something to do with you dry-humping her fiancé." Yui suggested gleefully.

"Maybe. But my money's on not enough Ranma kisses. Ranma, do your damn job!" Riko shouted at him while waving a fist in the air.

"You're bucking for a demotion to Sergeant." She said as she tried desperately to contain her laughter.

Ranma was again just looking between her and Riko and blinking rapidly as he tried to follow their antics. Finally he said something. "I _am_ doing my job."

She sighed. She was sure he meant guarding her.

"I ... sleep with her almost every night." He said in a serious voice that was only mildly colored with ... was that amusement?

Yui and Riko's eyes both got very wide.

"No. Way. Really?!" Riko asked.

She nodded. "Yup, he does, almost every night."

"Wow, Ranma, I'm impressed." Yui said as she looked him up and down approvingly.

"Wait, do you mean sleeping sleeping, or sexy sleeping?" Riko asked with a tight frown on her face and her eyebrows drawn down in suspicion.

"Well, now that would be telling." She said flippantly.

"I call shenanigans, don't believe you." Riko retorted.

"Jealous?" She taunted with a note of pride in her voice.

"You wish. I'm totally fine. Alone. Every night. Alone ... hey, Ranma do you have any brothers?" Riko asked in a tone that tried to be nonchalant but came out as a mix between desperate and disappointed.

"Sorry, I don't. Well ... none that I know of anyway." He replied.

Riko looked up sharply at that.

"His dad is a bit..." She tried to explain, but she trailed off, not sure how much Ranma wanted people to know about his dad.

"He can be a creep." Ranma finished for her.

"I'm sorry, Ranma. That can be rough." Riko said, seriously. It was the first truly real thing Riko had ever said to Ranma that she knew of. She doubted Ranma knew the full significance of it, but she could tell that Ranma appreciated the kindred spirit nature of Riko's statement.

"So, anyway, aside from things that are none of your business, and completely ignoring you feeling up my fiancé, what are your plans for the weekend?" She asked in a blatant attempt to change the subject.

Riko picked up instantly on her desire to move the conversational topic, and fell right into step with her like it was a pre-planned conversational move. "Oh, you know me, I have commitments all over town. My public demands I make appearances." Riko said with a grin.

"Your public? Really? Diva delusions so early in the day?" Yui asked with a snort of laughter.

"Well, I mean, that's how it always starts out, before some fool tries to propose to me, and then there's always the running ... and the inevitable screaming, oh God, the screaming." Riko said in a haunted voice while looking into the distance dramatically.

"Screaming?" Ranma asked.

Riko whipped her head around and grinned at him. "Well, as soon as one fool tries to propose to me, the fights break out, and others think if they don't try too, they might miss their chance, it's all very dramatic, and sad. You've never heard a scream, until you hear the wail of some deluded fool who's losing his fantasy crush." Riko said in a chirpy voice.

"You have issues, you know that, right?" Yui said with a frown as she let out a long-suffering sigh.

"What can I say, guys in their teens love me." Riko said with a wink.

"Screw the teens, what about Nanami?" Yui said with a smirk.

A wide grin slowly started to spread across Riko's face. "You do realize that my head is getting dangerously close to exploding from the sheer volume of possible joke responses?" Riko said in a strained voice, like she was struggling with something.

"What do you—" Yui started to say.

"Screw the teens? Seriously? So. Many. Jokes." Riko said with an even wider smile before her friend broke down and just started laughing uncontrollably.

She found herself laughing along with Riko. It was helping, the laughter was making her feel a bit better. So she decided to stoke the fires a little bit with something Yui had whispered to her earlier.

"So how was dancing?" She asked slyly.

Riko looks over at Yui sharply with wide eyes. "You didn't?!"

Yui shrugged nonchalantly as she sipped a soda.

Riko dragged her eyes back to her and glared. "It. Never. Happened. We clear?"

She grinned. "I don't know, you may have to tell me about it before I am totally clear." She said with glee.

Riko kept her eyes locked on her own for a little bit before her friend sighed and hung her head in defeat. "Fiiiiine. Yui whined, and begged, and pleaded, and promised me more than most guys have promised me to try to get me to sleep with them, all to go dancing. It was pathetic. In a moment of weakness, my stupid empathy made me let her drag me down there." Riko said in a pout.

"And ... how was it?" She asked after winking at Yui.

"I sat in a chair in the corner clutching my knees to my chest and rocking back and forth chanting prayers for the dawn to come and for the bad people to go away."

"She did not!" Yui protested from the bench.

"It was a nightmare. Flashy lights, sweaty people, noisy music. And the place looked like an S&M dungeon. I spent the whole time hoping I would stroke out just so I could escape it." Riko said in a haunted voice.

"She's exaggerating." Yui said with exasperation.

"I would have rather gone to one of those youth-group's smarmy campfire sing-alongs. Literally anything would have been better." Riko said with disgust.

"But you danced so well!" Yui protested.

"You can't prove that I danced." Riko said haughtily.

"You danced." Yui said with conviction.

"Never happened."

"You weren't even nervous."

"That is because it _never_ happened. No amount of stimulants or other recreational substances could possibly have pulled me from my righteous pedestal where I sat in judgment of the rest of you and your humiliating and immoral gyrating." Riko said in a small voice that had seen too much, like a soldier recounting the horrors of war to a therapist.

"You danced." Yui said sternly.

"That is ... your opinion. But I know, in my heart, I didn't let the bad people win. I was afraid, but I overcame my fear, and I am stronger for it." Riko said with a choked back sob in her voice. Riko's acting skills were so good, she actually didn't know whether her friend really was choked up or not. She glanced at Yui who rolled her eyes and shook her head.

Yui sighed in exasperation. "She danced."

Ranma hadn't been paying attention to them for a last few moments. She could tell his focus was outside their group. She nudged him in the ribs and whispered to him.

"Hey, come on, we're piling on to Riko. That doesn't happen very often, get your shots in while you can." She prodded him.

He shook his head distractedly as his eyes darted around rapidly.

"What's got you so distracted? Pretty girl in a short skirt tying her shoe somewhere?" She asked as she craned her neck to look around and try to follow his sight line.

"No ... they're coming." Ranma said quietly.

She looked up in alarm. "How much time?" She whispered as fear gripped her heart again. There was only one _they_ he could be referring to. She didn't want to scare her friends yet in case there was time to defuse the situation.

"No time." He said as he stood up and pulled her into his arms. She felt his battle aura flare into life. She concentrated and was able to see it a little bit, more like one could see the heat distorting the air on concrete on a really hot day than anything else, but it was something.

Her friends looked at him with wide eyes. They may not have been able to see or feel his battle aura, but anyone could see that what he was doing was getting ready to fight.

"What's wrong?" Riko asked, as she also stood up. Riko was always the fastest on the uptake. Yui was on her way to her feet as well.

"The Amazons are about to attack." She whispered.

Riko's eyes widened in fear. "Really? Oh shi—"


	52. Are You All Right?

[soundtrack for this one: _銀閃の風 (Ginsen no kaze)_ , by **鈴木このみ (Suzuki Konomi)** ]

"Seriously?" Yui said in a small voice as she looked around in a panic while Riko moved closer to Ranma nervously.

Ranma nodded. "I need to get you all out of here. I'll take Nabiki first and come back for you." He said urgently as he grabbed on to Nabiki tighter and tensed to jump. She shook her head and pushed hard on his chest in a signal to let her go.

For the second time, ever, he didn't respond instantly to her unspoken signal. He looked at her in confusion and kept his grasp tight around her. Normally his body heat pressed against her was comforting, but it wasn't at the moment.

"Nabiki ... I have to get you out of here." He repeated. "I can't protect you if a lot of them attack, with all these people around."

She shook her head again and pointed to her friends. "What about them? Won't the Amazons attack them too?" She asked urgently.

He blinked and looked at her and them, and she could see him warring with what he saw as his duty against what she was asking him. She could tell he wanted to take all of them, but there was no way he could carry the three of them at the same time. She also knew his feelings for her meant he prioritized her over her friends. He kept looking around urgently then back to her. She shook her head again firmly.

He locked eyes with her and sighed as he let her go. "I can't carry you all at the same time, so we'll have to run for it." He said heavily. She could tell he didn't think this was a good idea.

"Nabiki, what's going on? You're scaring me." Yui said.

She smiled at Yui. "You don't need to be scared. Ranma's here." She said softly, but with quiet confidence in her voice.

He frowned at her. She knew he didn't like her to make promises on his behalf. She shrugged at him. Whether he liked it or not, she had absolute faith in his abilities and his ability to protect her.

He sighed and went along with her though. "Yeah, don't worry, it's no big deal. I can handle a few Amazons, no sweat. Let's go quickly though, no reason ta give 'em a chance to cause problems. Don't run yet, but walk fast." He said in a strained voice as he waved them towards the school buildings. Yui and Riko nodded and started walking together without a word. She could tell they were scared. They kept looking back at him and her as they walked. She followed close behind them, and Ranma followed her. He was still openly displaying his battle aura.

"Get ready to run." He said quietly after they had been moving for only about half a minute.

She nodded and repeated his message to her friends in a tense whisper. They also nodded with shaky jerks of their heads. It wasn't a game for them to joke about anymore. She could tell they were scared and getting more scared by the moment. Yui was starting to stumble as she walked as fast as she could while she tried to not outright run.

"Run!" Ranma yelled at the same time that he put his hand on her shoulder to push her to move faster.

Riko and Yui took off as fast as they could. She kept right on their heels. Out of her peripheral vision she could see dark shapes darting around and getting closer to them. The Amazons were closing in on them.

A moment later Ranma's hand left her shoulder and she felt the heat of his battle aura blur to her right as he leaped to intercept something. She heard a heavy impact of his body hitting something solid and she saw something human-sized fall to the ground to her right as she ran.

Yui screamed and stumbled. Her friend would have fallen, but she darted forward and caught her and pushed her back up to keep her on her feet and running. Riko glanced over at them with wide eyes.

She felt the heat of Ranma's battle aura shift to the front of them as he blurred to intercept another attacker. He ended up right in front of Riko as he slapped some sort of weapon out of the air that had been aimed at Riko. Then he blurred again and another Amazon fell to the ground heavily with the sound of another heavy impact of fists meeting flesh. He wasn't fooling around.

They continued to run, and he kept darting around them to stop weapons and Amazons from touching them. They were about a hundred paces from the nearest school building, near the leading edge of the side of the building, when he yelled again.

"Stop! Surrounded!" He yelled as he stopped blurring long enough to stand in front of them with his hands up in a signal to stop. He then resumed moving so fast that he blurred. Riko and Yui grabbed on to each other and stood huddled together, absolutely terrified. Yui kept squeaking like she wanted to scream, but was clearly fighting herself to keep from doing it. Riko was darting her eyes around nervously trying to see where the threats were.

She knew it wouldn't help much, but she turned around and got into a fighting stance as she reached down to her core, grabbed her center, and _pulled_ to tap into what she thought of as her courage, but Ranma had re-taught her was so much more. She stood facing outward with her back to her friends and waited for an opponent to attack her.

She could feel the heat of Ranma's battle aura bouncing all around them as he moved from attacker to attacker to protect them. She could hear his feet impacting and sliding around as he fought the Amazons. She could feel a circle closing in around them anyway. She kept her eyes open wide and watched for threats. She could see the Amazons when they darted around, they didn't blur like he did, but they were still really fast.

A moment later one of the Amazons stopped moving in front of her. She tensed to fight, then swallowed nervously as another one came to stand next to the first one. Then another, and another formed up into a group. There were dozens of them. The one in the lead smirked.

She blinked and realized that she knew the lead Amazon, it was Shampoo's older sister, Shona, the one who had sent her falling off a building. Shona was still carrying the marks Ranma had given her in their first fight, and some new ones too. She hoped those had been from the ambush yesterday, or that the old woman had given them to her for her failure. She growled at Shona and tensed to fight.

She would fight if it came to it, but she was starting to get a really bad feeling. Even with her faith in Ranma, the sheer numbers of the Amazons fanning out and encircling them were ... daunting. Her rough estimate put their numbers over fifty now. Ranma appeared in front of her a moment later and started backing up with her behind him. He had his hands up in a fighting stance, instead of spread wide protectively. She knew that Ranma would prefer to save everyone, but if push came to shove, he would choose her over her friends, even if she asked him to protect them instead of her.

She wanted to be angry about that, but all she really felt was numb. Her mind was having a hard time processing what was going on. She was getting more used to it all, but she still didn't have even a fraction of the experience with it that Ranma did. Hell, she didn't have even a fraction of the experience that Akane had.

More and more Amazons were arriving to encircle them. Ranma leaned back towards her and whispered to her. "You know how I said I could handle a few Amazons?"

"Yeah..." She answered.

"Okay, maybe I was wrong." He said reluctantly.

"What do you..."

"I don't know, maybe—" He started to reply, but before he could finish his thought, the Amazons surged forward to attack when Shona snapped her fingers. Ranma tensed and she felt his battle aura flare even stronger. She was too nervous to try to focus and see it. He shot a panicked look back at her, then forward again, then at her friends, and then back to her. Ranma was breathing rapidly, she knew he would never admit it, but he was afraid. He had to be terrified of what would happen to her if he lost. She knew he would also be feeling afraid and guilty about her friends. As the Amazons closed on them, he closed his eyes briefly like he was steeling himself to endure something.

She braced for what she knew was coming, Ranma would fight for a little bit, but at some point he was going to grab her and run. She looked back at her friends to yell for them to run for it, when she caught a flash of white behind them as someone darted forward from the direction of the school.

"Saotome, SHIELD!" A woman's voice yelled calmly. It was a heavy voice that commanded action. Hell, she felt like she should move, and it wasn't even directed at her.

Ranma tilted his head as he heard the command, and hesitated for a moment, then he blurred into motion and she suddenly felt him all around her, like he was everywhere. She didn't know what he was doing, but it felt sort of like what he had done when he had taught her to see using her Ki, only several orders of magnitude stronger. The world went silent as a vacuum formed around her and her friends. Riko and Yui both gasped and stifled little screams of fright as they moved to either side of her. Even as scared as they obviously were, they were moving to try to protect her. A heartbeat later she was sure a bomb went off. Whomever she had seen behind them, who had called for the shield, was incredibly powerful.

The world went white as the shockwave from the attack spread out in every direction, and the ground jumped underneath her. She saw in her peripheral vision both Yui and Riko stumble and fall as they lost their footing to either side of her. If Ranma's shield hadn't been there, she knew they all would have been picked up by the shockwave and thrown against the wall like a leaf in the wind. A heartbeat later sound returned as the bubble they were in popped, and the ground settled back down. The world was strangely quiet.

Ranma appeared behind her a moment later. He reached out and pulled her into a hug from behind with his arms wrapped around her shoulders and squeezed her tightly, almost too tightly, like he was trying to reassure himself that she was still there. He was sweating, and his skin was warm against hers. She could feel him breathing very hard, so hard in fact that he was pushing her back and forth every time his chest drew in air. It was obvious he was exhausted, he even leaned on her a little bit for support. She didn't know what he had done, but it had clearly cost him dearly to shield them all. She reached her arms up and grabbed onto his arms and hugged him back as best she could in the position they were in, as she unclenched, and slumped into him as well. She looked over to where Shona had been, and saw a woman in a white lab coat standing there calmly.

It was the nurse she'd met on Monday, Miso.

The substitute _nurse_ was standing there nonchalantly. She could feel a battle aura coming from the woman. She couldn't tell what kind it was, or how big. She didn't know if that was because she still had trouble seeing with her Ki, or if Miso was doing something ... unusual? There was something odd about the battle aura she felt coming from Miso, it felt ... peaceful. It was hard for her to wrap her mind around it, but the feeling she got most clearly from Miso's battle aura, was calm and peace.

None of the Amazons were still standing. Many had fled, including Shona, but the rest were splayed around them in a semi-circle like they were felled stalks of wheat. None of them looked seriously injured though. They all just looked like they were sleeping. She could see several Furinkan students picking themselves up off the ground a little bit further out as well. Miso's attack had been ... strong.

Miso turned around and smiled at them. She smiled back as she felt another surge of gratitude for the woman who had now helped her three times, while tears sprang into her eyes. Miso walked over calmly with her hands in her lab coat pockets. She looked for all the world like she was just strolling through the infirmary without a care in the world.

As the older woman came to stop in front of her, she felt Ranma release her and step to her right side. He bowed to Miso politely. She was impressed. Ranma almost never bowed to anyone, especially women.

"Thank you." He said simply as he laced his left arm around her waist once he straightened up.

"It was my pleasure." Miso said with a smile as her eyes darted behind them.

She turned to see how Riko and Yui were doing, and smiled. Riko was crouching above the nearest Amazon and poking the unconscious warrior on the nose with a blade of grass while she muttered taunts to her. Yui was grinning ear to ear, and as soon as their eyes met, her friend threw her arms in the air and chirped out, "Again!" Yui had twin streaks on her cheeks from tears she had obviously shed in fright, but it didn't stop her from being silly.

She grinned back at Yui. Leave it to Yui and Riko to go right back to themselves once the immediate danger was over. She looked back at Miso and found her smiling as well.

"I think you two young ladies could use a trip to my office for a checkup and some lollipops." Miso said kindly.

Yui smiled and nodded, while Riko looked up from poking the Amazon and frowned suspiciously. "You have grape, right? I have to have grape every three hours, or I die." Riko said seriously.

"Well, we'll have to see. It'll depend on how good you two are on your way to my office. I may have grape, or I may only have lime." Miso said with a laugh in her voice.

Riko grimaced. "Lime makes me die faster." Riko then pivoted her fast-moving attention to Ranma, smiled like the shy schoolgirl she most certainly wasn't, and reached her hand up towards Ranma cutely. Ranma smiled softly and got the message. He moved over to her friend and grasped Riko's hand and pulled her up to her feet effortlessly.

Riko held his hand in the grasp for a moment, it almost looked like they were about to arm-wrestle, but Riko was staring deeply into his eyes instead. Then Riko smiled at him and yanked him forward into a hug. She saw Riko shudder for a moment as her friend let go of whatever emotions might have been weighing on her. Then Riko spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear, words she hadn't heard Riko say in a long time. "I owe you one, Saotome. Thank you."

Riko let go of him then, and stepped back with a wink before turning to grab Yui and linking arms with her. The person who called herself Miso, who claimed to be a nurse, and quite clearly was much more than that, stepped up behind her friends and smiled at them.

"Well, let's get to it then. And if you want grape lollipops, I suggest you be good girls on the way to my office." Miso said as she stepped forward and inserted herself into the linked arms of Riko and Yui, creating a chain with herself in the middle.

"T-thank you again, Miso." She called out after them as the _nurse_ started walking towards the building with Yui and Riko happily skipping next to her.

Miso paused and looked back over her shoulder and smiled kindly. "It was, and always will be, my great pleasure, Miss Tendo. As I told you, while you are here at the school, you are being watched over. You have my word on that."

She nodded quickly as she felt a tear escape and slide down her cheek as she shuddered under the dual weight of relief and gratitude.

She didn't know what it was about Miso, but the woman reminded her of something, and made her feel safe and vulnerable and happy all at the same time. The substitute _nurse_ held her gaze for a moment more and communicated to her some of the peace and calm she radiated. She nodded again. She knew what Miso was trying to tell her.

Miso smiled and turned around again and resumed walking. The _nurse_ then called out to Ranma over her shoulder without turning around again. "Saotome, you're up. Take care of Miss Tendo for me. That's an order, boy." Miso said with a laugh as she disappeared into the building with Riko and Yui.

Ranma turned to her and raised an eyebrow. "She's awfully bossy for a nurse, isn't she?" He said in a falsely wounded tone. She could tell he wasn't actually upset. Miso had saved her friends. She had no idea who Miso really was, but she suspected who might know.

She linked arms with Ranma and started walking with him towards the building their classrooms were in. She fully intended to collect Akane and go home. It simply wasn't safe at school anymore. It was an unnecessary risk to be at the school with the Amazons a continuing threat.

As they walked, Ranma looked over at her and smiled. "That was nice of Riko to say that, I hardly ever have anyone say stuff like that." He said softly.

She smiled at him. "Ranma, you don't even know the half of it." She said with a grin.

"What do ya mean?" He asked.

"How do I explain this ..." She wondered out loud as she looked at him and grinned. "Let me put it this way ... you are the first person Riko has pledged a favor to in a long time. I know you have no idea what it means for Riko to owe you a favor, so let me explain. Riko hasn't sworn a debt to _anyone_ since she was in grade school. Besides me, Riko is probably one of the most powerful people in this city. She could make you mayor if she wanted to. She knows _everyone_. She's as well-connected as I am, she just doesn't have quite as many favors owed to her as I do. Don't blow your favor on something stupid like asking her to get you gum, okay? Wait until you are _really_ in trouble before you ask for her help." She said as sincerely as she could. She wanted him to know she wasn't joking.

"Whoa ... really?" He asked as he blinked in surprise.

"Yup, Riko is the real deal, and she pays her debts. If your home is going to be foreclosed unless you get a loan from a bank, Riko can make it happen for you, guaranteed. If some lowlife is threating you with a lawsuit to close your business, Riko can make it go away, with extreme prejudice. She can be a force behind you that can change the course of your life. Don't call for her help unless you _really_ need it. If you never need it, pass her favor down to your kids — Riko's favors are worth more than money or property. Don't waste it." She said with a slow smile growing on her face. She loved how awesome her friends were.

"Nah, I doubt I'd ever ask her for anythin'." Ranma said quietly.

She arched an eyebrow at him and looked at him askance. "What do you mean? Why not?" She asked.

"I know you." He said with a wink.

She smiled at him and pulled him in to a hug as she stopped walking. "Damn right you do, Saotome, and don't you forget it. I owe you a few favors as well, don't worry, I'll take care of you too." She whispered to him.

"I don't need nobody ta take care of me, but thanks." He whispered back to her as he hugged her in return. A moment later he slowly picked her up off the ground and hugged her even more tightly. She sank into the hug and did all she could to let go of the stress she was carrying. She couldn't let go of all of it, but she managed to let go of a lot of it, at least for the moment.

Ranma, however, didn't relax into the hug. Instead she felt the muscles in his body stiffen.

"What's wrong?" She asked him.

"They're back." He whispered to her.

"What? Seriously? Already? Why in the nine he—" She began to curse as her stress and anger returned in full force, but Ranma was already moving.

"Down!" He yelled as he plopped her back to the ground, and then pushed her on the shoulder to drop her even further down as he stepped forward and placed himself between her and the attacking Amazon.

His head snapped back as the Amazon landed a solid hit on him. His right hand was still on her shoulder, and he'd used his left hand to block some sort of a weapon strike aimed at her. So he simply took the hit to his head from the Amazon's other hand.

He staggered back a step, and moved her with him by pushing on her shoulder. His head rocked back again, and he grunted with pain as he pulled her up to her feet again without looking, and quickly ran his hand from her shoulder down her chest and to her belt where he yanked her strongly forward so she was literally right behind him, then he exploded into motion.

He stepped forward aggressively with his right foot into the stance of the attacking Amazon. It was an Amazon she didn't recognize, but she could tell the warrior-girl was good. The Amazon had a black armband on her left arm. Ranma wasted no time in turning the tables on the attacker.

She could just barely follow the motions as Ranma moved to respond to the latest punch the Amazon was throwing with her right hand. As he stepped into the Amazon's stance he slammed his left fist into the lower nerves of the Amazon's forearm. His right fist he smashed into the bicep muscle of the same arm.

As soon as the Amazon's energy had been deflected, he shifted his stance so more of his weight was on his forward right foot, while his rear foot shifted into a twist stance. He carried the motion into a chop to the Amazon's neck with his right hand while his left hand he left up in a parry to the punching arm the Amazon still had extended.

The left parry hand turned into a palm strike to the Amazon's face as he finished the twisting motion with his stance and pulled his right hand back towards his body carrying the motion through from the chop. As soon as he reached the pivot point he reversed the motion from the fully loaded twist-stance and shot out an uppercut with his right hand to the Amazon's solar plexus.

The Amazon started to double over with a grunt of pain as Ranma rebounded his right hand from the punch and brought it circling backwards as he twisted his stance. At the same time he shot a chop out to the Amazon's neck with this left hand that turned into a crane-hand which he used to yank the Amazon's head further down. As soon as his right hand reached the top of the circle it shot forward again and he brought it down strong as a hammer-fist to the back of the Amazon's head where the skull met the neck. The Amazon dropped to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

She was about to cheer for him when he tilted his head up like he heard something. He swiveled his head to look behind her as his body launched forward towards where she was still standing.

He darted in and slapped his right hand across her body and parried a strike away from her that a new Amazon had been launching from behind her. She didn't recognize this one either, but the Chinese girl had a white armband on her right arm. She hadn't seen any other Amazons with armbands until now.

_Are these ones special, or just snappy dressers?_ She wondered as Ranma fought. She felt detached and surreal again. She wasn't particularly scared, because she knew Ranma would protect her, so she found her mind focusing analytically on the skills of the two combatants.

Ranma had continued his forward motion to step across her path into a guarding position in front of her while he slipped his left hand back and pushed her out of danger. He smoothly recovered his momentum by whipping his right hand back in to his stance in a figure-eight motion as he danced back and parried once more. Then his left hand rejoined his right and he threaded the Amazon's attacks so he was squared up again.

The Amazon sneered and stepped hard into his stance and punched to his face. Ranma didn't give ground. He caught the Amazon's fist in his right hand, then grabbed the wrist with his left, and twisted sharply with his hips and legs as he held the Amazon's wrist immobile.

The Amazon had no choice but to dive to the side or her wrist would have broken. Ranma stayed in place in front of her with a fire in his eyes. She could tell that he was angry. The Amazon rolled out of the dive and charged right back at them. Ranma again didn't give ground. He simply stayed in his guard and parried everything the Amazon threw at him. His hands were a blur as he slapped the Amazon's attacks up, down, side to side and back again. Abruptly his back foot lashed out and landed a solid side-kick that launched the Amazon away again. He hadn't changed the stance of his front foot, or even rotated until the last second with his hips. He hadn't telegraphed it at all.

The Amazon slowly got back up to her feet a few meters away and eyed him with respect. The Chinese warrior took a hesitant step towards him, then stopped. She could tell the Amazon was having seconds thoughts about attacking him again. The first time he had simply thrown her. The second time he had kicked her away pretty hard. The young warrior had to be wondering what he would do for a third attack.

The Amazon growled and launched herself at him again. Clearly retreat was not an option for an Amazon sent on an assassination mission by a Joketsuzoku elder. Ranma growled back and readied himself, still without giving any ground.

The Amazon threw three front snap kicks rapidly with her lead right leg. They were feints though. As soon as Ranma's hands were out of position, the Amazon threw a much stronger kick with her rear left leg. Ranma moved like he had been expecting it.

He stepped fully back with his left leg, changing his stance. At the same time he struck low with his left hand in a hammer-fist strike that swung like a pendulum with the motion of the kick. She saw his fist impact on the Amazon's calf muscle. As soon as his left foot touched down at the rear of his stance, he sprang forward again with the same foot and kicked out the lead knee of the Amazon as his left hand swept up and arrested the Amazon's forward motion as he braced it on her shoulder. He grasped the fabric of the Amazon's tunic as he twisted his stance, and lashed out with his right leg to kick out the Amazon's other knee. As the Chinese warrior collapsed downward, he pulled on the fabric he had in his hand, twisting the Amazon's body towards him, and punched her jaw hard with a strong cross-punch. The Amazon dropped to the ground and didn't move.

She couldn't really explain it, but she was relieved to see that the Amazon was breathing as she watched the Chinese girl's chest rise and fall where she laid, unconscious. She knew she was the one who had urged Ranma to _finish off_ Shona the other day. And she knew she had vowed a war against Shampoo earlier ... but for some reason her desire for bloodshed against a defeated opponent seemed to be waning. Maybe it had something to do with the feelings Miso had pulled to the surface earlier? She weirdly felt like someone was watching her, and she should be ashamed of wishing for bloodshed.

She didn't have time to worry about it though. She heard a twig snap behind her, and knew it would be another Amazon. Ranma glanced back, swore darkly, grabbed her, and ran.

They didn't get very far. The Amazon darted in front of them and blocked their path as they neared the building Ranma had headed for. Ranma swore again and set her down and pulled her behind himself in one smooth motion.

She peeked out from behind him, and sighed. It was Shona. The only Amazon she recognized on sight besides Shampoo, Mousse, and the old woman.

_I wonder what they did with Mousse? I haven't seen him in a while. I wonder if they sent him back to China, or have him tied up somewhere? Surely he would have caused a problem with the old woman waging a war to bring Ranma home to Marry Shampoo_. She thought as Ranma danced into fighting range with Shona and brought the fight to the young Chinese warrior. He was acting more aggressive than he had in the past. Clearly the Amazons were straining his control.

She watched Ranma with a critical eye again. He really was breathtaking when he used the Art when he was serious. The fight between him and Shona seemed ... weird ... though, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was that seemed odd to her.

Ranma's movements were very crisp. Shona would snap out a kick, and Ranma would crack his hands into a striking block to stop it, then flow into a counter attack high or low.

Shona would punch, and Ranma would whip a hand out, and grab her fist out of the air and squeeze it hard. Shona would strike with the other hand, and Ranma would either parry the strike with his other hand, duck it, or simply exchange hands he was holding.

Their fighting was more like a choreographed dance than a fight. The motions were slower than usual, and the movements were _very_ crisp. She couldn't figure out what they were doing, until Ranma missed one of his strikes, and hit the wall behind Shona instead.

The wall exploded!

_He's trying to kill her!_ She realized. _That's why his strikes are so clean and crisp, he's using only power-attacks. He's really, really serious!_ She thought in fear. She wasn't in fear for him, she was afraid of what he would do to the Amazon.

_Why do I suddenly care? What is wrong with me?_ She thought as she battled with her irrational fear for the safety of the Amazon. She felt like she was coming apart inside. She could feel things straining inside of herself that weren't connected with the fight or Ranma, or anything that was currently happening. Something was wrong with her.

Ranma's eyes were hard and emotionless. They weren't blazing with hate, they were dead. She could tell he didn't have much restraint left any more. She didn't know if he'd _actually_ kill the Amazon if he got the chance. But she could tell he was striking at Shona in a way that _absolutely_ had the intent of causing a lot of damage.

Shona was straining now. The Amazon was probably one of the best in her village, but aside from Shampoo's grandmother, none of the warriors she'd seen from that village were in the same class as Ranma. Especially not when he was serious.

He was dead serious right now. She could see a yellow battle aura flickering around him, and she could feel the waves of heat coming from him.

As Shona's endurance faded, the Amazon's strikes sped up. Shona tried to sacrifice strength for speed. It was a mistake. While Ranma ended up eating a few of Shona's punches and kicks, he was conditioned to take hits. And Shona's strikes were much weaker when she struck with speed. Ranma started hammering into Shona's pressure points in her bicep muscles when she punched, and her calf and thigh muscles when she kicked.

A moment later he got through Shona's guard, and landed a cross-punch to the Amazon's gut. As Shona gasped and folded into it, he straightened up and knocked Shampoo's sister off her feet with a rising uppercut with his other hand. Shona sailed up into the air, crashed into the remnant of the wall, and lay still.

Ranma stalked towards Shona with a dark purpose in his steps. She didn't know what he intended to do, and she didn't want to find out.

"Ranma!" She found herself yelling at him. He immediately turned and looked at her in a fighting stance. He looked to either side of her, and behind her, looking for threats. She ran to him and hugged him. "Breathe." She said as she held him. If someone had offered her a million Yen right then and there to explain why she had saved the Amazon who had attacked her multiple times now, she would not have been able to explain it.

She felt him clench his muscles almost like he was going to knock her off him, then he unclenched and deflated as he came back to himself and put his arms around her and held her. "Are you all right, Kiki?" He whispered to her.

"I will always be all right, as long as you stay with me, Ranma." She whispered back. Her heart soared as she heard him use the nickname Riko had given her, not just because she loved to hear him say it, but also because it was a signal between them that he was all right. Still ... she wanted to hear him say it anyway. "Are _you_ all right?" She asked him.

"I ... yeah, I'm fine. Just getting tired of this, you know?"

"I know." She said tiredly as she fought back the confusing wave of emotions she was battling.

_...he promised..._

He stepped back from her then and let go of her as he swept his gaze out in the now-familiar pattern he used to watch for danger.

"We need ta get Akane and go home, it isn't safe here right now." He said as he reached for her hand. His hand was shaking. She would have bet any amount of money that it was taking a huge psychological toll on him to have to hit women for real. He was backed into a corner though, in order to protect her and her family from lethal force, he was being forced to use increasing levels of force himself. He wasn't quite at lethal force levels yet, but he was getting very close. And as his most recent fight had just shown, what he had to do to himself to tap into the will to fight against people using that level of force brought his level of control down dramatically.

_If they keep pushing him, I don't know what's going to happen, but it won't be good_. She thought as she watched him with concern. Ultimately, she didn't care what happened to the Amazons, but she didn't want Ranma punishing himself for the rest of his life because of what the Amazons might make him do to save her.

"Let's get Akane and get the hell out of here before more of them show up." She said with a tight smile as she laced her arm through his and tugged him to start walking towards Akane's classroom.


	53. I Always Knew You Could Do It

[soundtrack for this one: _Should've Been Us_ , by **Tori Kelly** ]

Nabiki and Ranma had encountered no further resistance from the Amazons when they had gone to retrieve Akane from her classroom. Instead, they had found Miso standing outside of the door of Akane's classroom when they had arrived. Miso hadn't said a word to them, she'd just winked and walked away with her hands in her pockets while whistling a tuneless song, like she didn't have a care in the world. It occurred to her to ask if Riko and Yui were safe, but she let it go. Based on what she had seen the _nurse_ being capable of doing earlier, she seriously doubted Miso would let any harm fall to her friends, and ... apparently ... Akane.

Regardless, now that her friends we no longer standing right next to her while she was with Ranma, they were mostly likely safe anyway ... she hoped.

Ranma had pulled her into Akane's classroom, and tugged her right along beside him as he walked up to Akane. She'd dragged her feet a bit, but let him do it. She would have preferred to wait in the hall, or near the front of the room. She had even tried to wiggle her hand out of his warm hand to do so. But he'd ignored her signals and kept a solid grip on her. He clearly wasn't taking any more chances with her safety.

It was sweet in its own way, if a little smothering. It was exactly the kind of behavior she had told him over dinner on their date that made her want to throw away everything else and accept what he was and what he represented and to build a life together with him. If there was one thing that was an absolute certainty about Ranma Saotome, it was that he was a guy who would do everything he could to keep his loved ones safe.

_I wonder if he'll let me shower alone?_ She thought as an ... interesting ... idea crossed her mind. She smiled faintly as she entertained the idea while Ranma leaned down and whispered into Akane's ear. She found it easier to ignore the casual intimacy the two of them continued to display, if she had something to focus on.

Akane nodded her head, stood up, grabbed her satchel, and hurried into the aisle to stand next to Ranma. Her little sister had eyes only for him. Akane hadn't even glanced at her so far. She sighed and mentally shrugged. She didn't really blame Akane, she felt the same way as her sister did, after all.

Akane had whispered a quick goodbye to one of her friends, then they had all walked out of the classroom without incident. She had been half expecting to see Miso waiting for them in the hall, or shadowing them on their way out. But, as hard as she looked for the _nurse_ she couldn't catch any sign of her.

_That doesn't mean she isn't there though. Lots of Martial Artists can make themselves unseen when they choose to_. She thought. She was assuming Miso was some sort of Martial Artist based on what Miso had done earlier. She hadn't actually seen what Miso had done though. For all she knew Miso had just used a stun grenade or something.

She sighed and tried to calm her overly anxious mind. In the state she was in, her jumpy mind had her seeing Amazons in all of the shadows now. She shook her head to clear it of the idle thoughts running through it, and focused on Ranma. She felt the familiar longing inside herself well up as she thought of him, and her desire to be with him. She thought of marrying him and building a life with him. She thought of what that would mean, and kept circling back to the same question.

_Am I strong enough?_ She asked herself. _It isn't like the Amazons are going to be attacking us forever, right? This situation will end. I can be strong until it ends, can't I?_ She argued. _Yeah, but what about the next crazy person who wants to prove themselves against him? What about the next tribe he accidentally angers? What about his old rivals who might try to hurt him through me? There is no possible way it is all going to go away forever ... a life with him means accepting that_. She answered her own argument and despaired. She was making herself miserable.

_What choice do I have? What is love? Don't we need to match up to be in love? We don't match up very well, do we? He matches up better with Akane, when they aren't fighting. They just have to learn to control their mouths and tempers, and they would be a far better match than he and I would be._

_You don't really believe that_. She accused herself.

_Maybe I do_. She tried to reassure herself.

_You're just scared_. Her resolve pushed back. _Nabiki Tendo DOES NOT back down from a problem_. Her pride added.

_This time ... maybe I do_ ... She told herself timidly as her doubts and fears weighed in stronger than her resolve and pride.

_But I love him, don't I? Can I give him up?_ She asked herself as she glanced at him. Her breath caught as he noticed her looking and looked back at her and smiled.

_I don't want to._ She told herself reluctantly as she looked away from him. She didn't want him to see the doubt in her eyes. She walked along beside him in silence for the next few blocks. 

Akane eventually spoke up to fill the silence. "How are you feeling, Ranma?"

She didn't look up as Akane started up an easy and casual conversation with him. It seemed Akane was growing more and more bold as the days went by and her younger sister realized that Ranma was someone Akane was willing to fight for. Akane also seemed to be realizing that Ranma returned her younger sister's feelings, at least to some degree. That seemed to be emboldening Akane even more.

As a melancholy mood settled on her, Akane chatted with him about the weather, school, people in their class, and even the fights that had been happening. The Amazons didn't seem to phase Akane nearly as much as they did her. She was sure it was the confidence Akane had in her own Martial prowess, due to her own training, that gave her little sister the ability to ignore the danger the Amazons represented. Not that Akane would last long against an onslaught from the Amazons en masse, but her little sister would certainly last longer than she would.

She glanced over at them and saw Ranma ducking his head down to whisper something to Akane while Akane laid her hand gently on his arm. It was most likely innocent, but to her it showed a pretty obvious problem. Ranma had feelings for Akane as well. And ... she didn't have a way to deal with that problem that wouldn't tear her family apart.

Akane spoke up a little bit later and addressed her. She didn't catch it at first, but after Akane had repeated her name a few times she snapped out of her reverie and pulled her eyes up off the ground to look at Akane. For some reason just the simple act of looking up seemed difficult to do, like she was carrying an extremely heavy weight around her neck.

"I said, how are you doing, Nabiki?" Akane repeated with what seemed like a mild note of irritation in her voice.

"About as well as can be expected with people trying to kill me, Akane." She replied in a strained voice. She didn't want to fight with Akane, especially not in front of Ranma. She had been deliberately trying to present herself to him as the older, more mature choice. If he saw her fighting childishly with Akane, his belief in that aspect of her would erode immediately.

"Oh, come on, Ranma was with you this time, you weren't in any danger." Akane pressed her. Her younger sister then smiled shyly at Ranma.

_Is she ... is she using that as a way to try to make me look bad?_ She thought in disbelief. _She can't be ... can she?_ She thought as she raised an eyebrow at Akane. "Yes ... that's true ..." She said slowly as her mind worked rapidly to try to figure out how to fight Akane's strategy. The best way to argue against Akane's claims was to point out that Ranma wasn't infallible, and he could be knocked out, or temporarily restrained or overloaded. If that happened, she could be killed. But pointing that out would of course hit Ranma in his pride, which was one of the worst places to hit him.

She glanced at Akane with newfound respect. Her little sister had trapped her in a no-win argument. She either had to claim that she was absolutely safe with Ranma at all times, without reservation, which wasn't true and claiming it was true might obligate her to take further risks later with only Ranma to protect her. Or, she had to say in front of Ranma that she didn't think he was invulnerable. He wasn't mature enough yet to understand nuance like that. He would take it as a slap in the face, especially after all he had done to protect her so far. So, she chose to say nothing, and avoid the trap.

Her answer to Akane was a shrug of the shoulders, and a return to staring at the ground. It did not escape her notice that Akane smiled a faint smile as she did so. Not that she really blamed Akane.

_I was the one who told her to fight for him, after all. Because I am an idiot. She's only doing what I advised her to do. I'd be the worst kind of hypocrite to get angry about that._ She chastised herself as anger rose up strongly in her, and she stomped it back down under control firmly.

She didn't have long to dwell on it though, as Ranma and Akane abruptly stopped walking, and Akane sucked in a gasp of surprise. She looked up, and smiled her own faint smile, as Ranma turned to her with wide eyes.

"Who ... who're they?" He asked as he nodded his head towards the walls of their house.

"They..." she began as she swept her eyes over the hundreds of young men now swarming the walls and perimeter of their home, "... are the war I promised Shampoo." She said in a remorseless voice as a sense of relief started to grow in her. This was a game changer, the balance of power had shifted in favor of her family now.

They didn't move or say anything for a few moments after that, as both Akane and Ranma stared at the men swarming their property. As they stood there, one of the men raised his hand to them, and started to walk over to them in a brisk cadence.

The man approaching them was a young man, but with an air of authority about him. Ranma tensed as he approached, but she put a hand on his arm to signal to him not to interfere. Ranma glanced at her and nodded reluctantly.

The young man came to a stop in front of them exactly a meter away from her, came to attention, and saluted. "Captain Maki, reporting as ordered." He said while standing to attention.

She returned the salute casually. She and her lieutenants had been saluting each other for so long that it had actually become a habit for her. She'd learned it from watching movies and was glad that the motions she'd copied were more or less correct enough to not offend him.

She smiled grimly at him and nodded. "I think we will be able to find a use for you." She said calmly with the same small, dangerous smile she had used the other day when she defended Ranma from that impostor. When the young man didn't move, she searched her memory for phrases to say, and tried several. "Um ... rest? Relax? At-ease?" She said cautiously.

The young man smiled tightly and nodded as he relaxed his stance to place his feet further apart, as he clasped his hands behind his back. It was a soldier's stance. The same stance she saw Ranma and Doctor Tofu use frequently. She caught Ranma nodding softly to himself out of the corner of her eye as Captain Maki glanced at Ranma as well. One warrior to another sizing each other up.

"Do you have the recognition codes, ma'am? None of the other adults in the household had them. I'm afraid we can't fully deploy and accept the mission without them." The young man said briskly as her refocused on her.

"Of course, sorry to keep you waiting. Recognize, Alpha Fox Seven Nine Delta Challenge." She rattled off the challenge code she had been given.

The soldier smiled and nodded as he spoke the counter code. "Authorized Priority Omega Authenticating Whiskey Foxtrot Zero Zero Fiver Charlie Push."

She smiled at him in return. That had been the correct counter code she had been given. "Captain Maki, please execute your mission." She said the phrase that was supposed to trigger the response for the mission code.

"What is my mission code, ma'am?" He asked calmly.

"Mission code is Tendo One Stalwart Zero." She said as officially as she could. She could see Akane gaping at her in shock now out of the corner of her eye. Ranma wasn't making it obvious he was in shock, but he was certainly watching her carefully she could see in her peripheral vision.

"Mission accepted, ma'am. I am assuming you will be the mission commander?" He asked.

She nodded firmly. "Correct, please run all mission related questions by me. If I am incapacitated in any way, please ask Ranma here. If he is incapacitated or unavailable, please ask the man in the dark gray dogi wearing glasses, his name is Doctor Tofu." She said confidently. Ranma's eyes had widened when she indicated him, but otherwise he said nothing.

"Very well, ma'am. Orders, ma'am?" The soldier asked.

"I will give you further orders later, but for the moment, secure my family's lands. Don't let anyone in who isn't myself, my family, or any of the people I will identify later. I will send pictures to you shortly for identification purposes."

"Very well, ma'am. We will secure the perimeter. What, may I ask, are we securing it against? What is the nature of the threat?" He asked in a bit of a strained voice. She was sure he found the mission a bit ridiculous.

"I can't tell you for certain what form the threat will take, but in general you will be guarding against Chinese Amazon warriors. Female soldiers from China." She elaborated as confusion crossed his face.

"Chinese ... Amazons... really?" He asked.

"They are more of a threat than you think they are. That will be all for now, please do as I asked."

The soldier nodded stiffly. "Yes ma'am, we will carry out our orders. Securing the perimeter now. Please send me the identification pictures as soon as you are able." He said as he saluted, pivoted in place, and marched back towards the soldiers swarming their land.

She kept her eyes on the soldier as she waited for Ranma and Akane's reaction. She didn't have to wait long.

"Nabiki ... what is—" Ranma started to ask.

"—what is going on?!" Akane said over him.

She closed her eyes briefly, and smiled as she answered them without opening her eyes, or looking at them. "I said ... if they wanted a war ... I'd give them one." She said softly as she started walking towards the house without looking at either of them. She heard both of them give chase immediately as she opened her eyes and began looking for Doctor Tofu. He wasn't hard to find, he was standing at the top of the roof, watching everything.

She walked into the main gate for their lands and waved him down as Ranma and Akane caught up to her. Both of them opened their mouths to continue asking her questions, but she held up her hand to shush them as Doctor Tofu landed.

"Hey Nabiki ... friends of yours?" He asked in his usual, easygoing voice. There was no clue in his voice or mannerisms of the ... disagreement they'd had earlier. She could see it in his eyes though. He was watching her much more warily than he had in the past.

_Well, tough, he's just going to have to deal with it_. She thought grimly as she stared into his eyes. "Yes ... friends of mine. Plan thirty nine is in full affect now." She said with a tight smile.

Doctor Tofu returned her smile. "Fair enough. I assume they'll be here for the duration?" He asked.

She nodded, then held a hand up to pause him as he turned to resume his place on the roof. "And, since we now have more than enough people watching the house, I'd like you to do me a favor, please." She said in a voice she tried to make conciliatory, but came out just brisk.

"Oh? What's that?" He replied without turning around.

"I'd like you to go and collect my friends Riko, Yui, Nanami and Chihiro, and bring them here safely, please. Here's their addresses." She said in a firm tone as she handed him a paper with her friend's names and addresses written out on it that she'd prepared earlier.

He looked down at the paper, and then up at her slowly as his easygoing smile slowly faded into a frown.

"I'm sorry, but I can't." He said reluctantly.

She scowled at him. "What do you mean you can't? You owe me, I am calling in one of my favors. Do it, please." She replied with a scowl.

He shook his head softly. "I can't. I can't leave right now."

"But ... you promised." She said heavily, as her disappointment grew, and her faith in him eroded. An oath breaker was the worst kind of traitor.

"I did promise. And, if it was at any other time than now, I would be happy to do it, without you calling in a favor. But I am keeping a much older promise right now. I can't break that promise to keep yours." He said.

"Then how am I supposed to—" She began angrily as heat flushed into her cheeks.

"Don't worry though, I have a ... friend ... who can go get them."

"I don't need your _friend_ to get them, I need _you_ to get them, and keep them safe!"

"Your friends will be safe, on my life I promise you, my friend can get them here safely."

She narrowed her eyes at him and sighed. "I guess I have no choice. Please see that they get here safely. I will hold you responsible if they don't." She said.

He smiled at her. "Don't worry, I'll take care of it, I promise." He said once again in his usual easy-going voice.

She looked at him with narrowed eyes and frowned. She felt very uneasy.

"I'll go make the call now. My friend can have them here in about an hour." Doctor Tofu said as he walked towards the house.

She sighed as she watched him go, then hardened her gaze and turned to watch the soldiers setting up. She could feel both Ranma and Akane standing behind her, watching her, and wanting to talk to her. She could actually feel their hot gazes on the back of her neck, itching, as her mind raced around chasing itself in circles.

_...he promised!..._

She felt a sharp jab in her heart as her memory of Ranma holding Akane that morning rose up in her mind. A burning sensation flared inside her chest, and an itching unsettling feeling gripped her body and made her feel like she couldn't hold still, and that she would never relax again.

"Are you all right?" Ranma's voice asked from behind her.

She shook her head. She wasn't all right. Nothing was all right. There was a weight on her chest, and nothing was making it go away. Deep breaths didn't help. Closing her eyes didn't help. NOTHING helped. Things were just wrong, everything was wrong!

She clenched her teeth and spun around to face him as anger grew inside her.

_...he promised!..._

She found Ranma looking at her with perplexion on his face. Akane was standing next to him watching her quizzically. Her younger sister wasn't touching him at the moment, but she knew Akane wanted to.

She ran her eyes up him and met his eyes with her own anguished ones. She felt a powerful longing inside of herself to run to him, bury her face in his chest, breath in his flowery cedar scent, and let the heat of him sooth her. But she refused it. Something was wrong with her, and she knew it. She wanted him to comfort her, but she also wanted to hide from him, so he wouldn't see her as she lost control. She didn't know why, but she could feel something inside her coming loose.

He tilted his head with concern and took a step towards her. And she almost held her arms open to welcome him in, but at the last moment she clenched her fists and looked away from him. He stopped moving. She closed her eyes and tried breathing deeply again.

_What's wrong with me? The soldiers are here ... things are going to be fine, why am I so upset?_ She asked herself as she looked inside for an answer. All she saw inside of herself was darkness though. She thought of Ranma, and her desire to be with him, and cringed. She wanted to be with him, more than anything, but something was wrong inside of her. There was a burning anger inside her, and it seemed to be growing. She was fighting a very strong urge to hit, to yell, to run around and just DO something. She knew that Ranma wouldn't understand. He dealt with his anger in a very different way.

So she stood and watched the gates, and awaited the arrival of her friends. She knew she wouldn't be able to unclench until she knew her friends were safe, until _everyone_ she loved was safe. After a little while, she felt and heard Akane and Ranma walk quietly away from her, leaving her alone with her thoughts. She didn't look back.

***

Almost exactly an hour later, as Doctor Tofu had promised, she heard the welcome mix of her friends' voices approaching. She smiled tightly to herself as she walked towards the gate and stepped through it on to the street.

Captain Maki turned from his post and raised an eyebrow at her. She nodded. The Captain saluted her, and quickly spoke into a radio while waving hand signals to the soldiers on the walls. Several soldiers with very large, dangerous looking, rifles lowered their rifles from ready positions.

She didn't pay much attention to the soldiers. They were doing their jobs, and she trusted them to do their jobs. What she didn't trust was whoever the random friend Doctor Tofu had recruited to bring her friends to safety.

"—nd that's just the half of it, the next time I—" she heard Riko's voice say from around the corner, happily chatting away.

"—ait wait, you forgot about th—" Yui's voice broke in.

"—iko you should be studi—" Chihiro's voice said.

"—ou'll have to get her away from m—" Nanami's voice added to the cacaphony. 

Well, at least Doctor Tofu's friend had managed to get all of the right people. She was growing increasingly concerned about the noise they were making though. She knew the Amazons were out there, watching the house. She had hoped to have her friends sneaked in quietly, maybe under the cover of darkness. Not walking in the front door while accompanied by a marching band of noise.

"Captain Maki, can you please make sure the four young women approaching the house now make it inside the walls safely?" She asked urgently as she tugged on the sleeve of his uniform nervously to get his attention.

Captain Maki looked back at her and smiled confidently. "Of course." He said as he raised his radio to his lips. "Bravo team, Delta team, ready one. Four targets, female, approaching now. Honor guard. Move!" The Captain ordered.

Two groups of soldiers rounded the walls from opposite ends of their land, and ran quickly towards the front gates. Each group had about twenty soldiers in it. As soon as the groups of soldiers reached the spot in front of the gate, they bolted out in dual lines towards the source of the voices of her friends.

She bit her lip and willed her friends to go faster, and for the soldiers to reach them in time as she watched the rooftops for signs of the Amazons.

Her friends rounded the corner just moments before the soldiers reached them. Riko was in the lead, and gasped as she stumbled to a halt and held her arm out to stop the rest of the girls. They all looked back at someone nervously, most likely Doctor Tofu's friend.

The person they were looking for came into view around the corner and winked at the girls. It was Miso, the _nurse_ who'd saved her repeatedly at the school. Miso shooed her friends forward to keep them moving, while the soldiers created two walls around them, to either side, and moved with them. Miso looked around at the soldiers and smiled. The _nurse_ looked ... amused?

Nabiki breathed a little easier as they got closer. She could tell that her friends were astonished by the show of force, but all of them were handling it differently. Predictably, Riko was handling it with flair. Her oldest friend was rattling off orders to the nearest soldier like he was a busboy.

"—cellent service you have here. Could you grab me a soda when you're done with this? There's a good boy." Riko said in increasingly outlandish attempts to get the soldier to pay attention to her. She cracked a small smile at her friend's antics.

Her friends reached the front gate without incident, and the honor guard of soldiers took up an outward defensive position as her friends reached her. She smiled warmly to her friends, and even more warmly to Miso. All of her friends tried to talk over each other and ask her questions, but she ignored them and waved them inside.

"In a moment, get inside where it's safe, please." She said to them.

Miso obviously agreed with her and shooed the girls forward again. They protested but did as they were asked and filed through the gate.

She turned and looked at Miso closely. Doctor Tofu's ... _friend_... had stopped and was leaning up against the edge of the gate, keeping an eye on her friends, and also on herself. Up close, when she _really_ looked at Miso, she realized that the woman's features didn't seem ... real. Something about Miso seemed like ... an illusion. She couldn't figure out what it was though. She sighed and let it go.

"So ... you're a _nurse_ , huh?" She asked the probing question with a raised eyebrow.

"Well ... I wouldn't say that's my day job, but I can be a nurse when needed." Miso replied with an easy going smile.

"Who the hell are you?" She asked in a bewildered voice.

"Well now, that IS the question, isn't it? It's probably the hardest question anyone will ever have to answer. Let me ask you, Miss Tendo, who are YOU?" Miso asked quietly with a small smile curving her lips upward.

"I ... what do you mean?" She answered, confused.

"We all change, don't we? When we're children, we are play, and laughter, and joy, and sorrow. We are our parents, and we are raw unbridled potential. As we grow older, we redefine ourselves, though, don't we? No longer the child, but our own person. We become scholars, and soldiers, and professionals, and the things we choose to do or excel at. But it doesn't stop there, does it? We get involved with other people, and with groups of people, and we let those people give us titles. We become deacons, boyfriends, girlfriends, spouses, students and teachers, and even parents ourselves. And those titles seem to MATTER, don't they? So, I ask you again, Miss Tendo ... who ARE you? Are you a scholar, a lover, a student, a teacher? Are you knowledge, hate, envy, joy, revenge? What titles have you accepted for yourself?" Miso asked her in a soft voice that was almost lilting like a song. It was mesmerizing. She found herself slipping into a trance just listening to her.

She shook her head to try to clear it, and stammered a response. "I ... I don't know. I'm just ... me." She said in a lame attempt to answer her.

Miso smiled at her. "That is a very wise way of answering, Miss Tendo. I think I shall take that as my answer as well. I am just ... me." Miso said with a wink as she nodded respectfully to herself and the soldiers, and stepped through the gate as well.

She found herself staring absently at the spot Miso had been occupying just a moment before, and trying to figure out what the hell had just happened.

She stepped forward to follow Miso inside the gate, but was stopped by Captain Maki's voice. "Orders, ma'am?" He asked.

She turned around and smiled grimly at him. "Same as before, keep the Amazons away from my friends and family. Everyone is here now. I'll get you the pictures of everyone in just a little bit." She said carefully. The soldier nodded, and saluted, and turned away to give orders to his men. While he was doing that, she slipped inside the gate, and closed it behind her.

Inside the walls to her family's land, she saw her friends clustered under the awning to the front door while Miso stood to the side and chatted softly with Doctor Tofu. As she walked towards them, she saw him do something she had never seen him do before. He bowed at a full ninety degrees to Miso, and held it for several seconds before he raised himself up again. Miso accepted the bow with a polite nod of the head.

Riko rushed out to meet her before she could join everyone and hugged her tightly. She returned her friend's hug and let out a little of the stress she was carrying around. Riko took a step back then and looked into her eyes before looking pointedly around them at the soldiers swarming their walls.

"Holy shit, Nabiki, overreact much?" Riko whispered to her.

"No." She said in a low, dangerous voice.

"But ... why? Aren't your Dad and Ranma and Akane and them enough?"

"Why? ... WHY?! Nobody threatens my family, or goes after my friends, that's why!" She growled with her hands balled into fists at her side. Riko looked at her with wide eyes.

"I mean, I always knew you could do it, but holy shit, seeing it actually happening is kinda terrifying." Riko said in a small voice.

"That's the general idea." She said.

"Okay, but ... isn't this the same kind of stuff that Ranma and them are always dealing with? Why bring them in?" Riko asked while nodding towards the soldiers on the wall.

"No, it isn't the same ... the Amazons threatened to kill all of us this morning." She said quietly.

"But, haven't other people made threats like that in the past when going up against Ranma and them?" Riko persisted.

"Yeah ... I guess, maybe, I don't know. What does it matter?" She asked with rising irritation.

"It matters, because you seem to be losing touch with reality a little bit, Kiki-chan." Riko said gently while laying a hand on her shoulder.

She sighed. She knew Riko was probably right, but the damage was already done. The favor had been called in, there was no undoing that. Besides, she felt safer and more calm with the soldiers watching the walls. With only four people watching the house, if one had been injured, it was a problem, if two were injured it was an emergency. But with the military watching the walls, if one or two or even dozens were sidelined, there were hundreds more to take their place.

_Besides, now Ranma can stay inside and sleep at night._ She thought with determination.

"Who are they, where are they from?" Riko asked after a few moments of uneasy silence passed between them.

"That's not the kind of question smart girls ask, Riko." She said with a small smile.

"I'm asking anyway. Who are they?" Riko persisted.

"Fine, you are looking at the First B.N.C Weapon Defense Company, from the First Division, Eastern Army, of the Ground Self-Defense Force under the command of Captain Maki. Headquartered right here in town at Camp Nerima."

"Wait, the real Army? How did you get the real Army to come out to protect your home? I thought they were just well-dressed mercenaries."

"General Nagai owes the Tendo clan a family debt of honor." She said simply.

"Holy crap, Nabiki ... there's like two or three hundred of them." Riko whispered.

"About two fifty or so." She confirmed with a nod.

"How long are they going to stay?"

"Until this is finished."

"What's B.N.C Weapon Defense?" Riko asked as she turned around in place and gawked at the soldiers.

"Biological. Nuclear. Chemical." She said simply.

"Special Forces?"

"Yup."

"Why?" Riko asked in a confused tone.

"Who knows what other nonsense the Amazons are going to pull. If they try something nasty, I wanted the experts on the ground to deal with it." She said vehemently.

"Holy crap, Nabiki." Riko repeated again in a hushed voice.

In reply, she laced her arm around Riko's shoulders and pulled her friend in tight. Riko laid her head down on her shoulder and sighed. Riko wasn't warm like Ranma was, but Riko was also much smaller and easier to cuddle, so it kind of balanced out.

"It's going to be okay. I'm going to finish this one way or another, and then it will be all over. In the meantime, you can stay here with the family, and be safe."

"But I'm not fa—"

"Yes you are." She interrupted sternly. Riko nodded hesitantly and allowed her to steer them towards the rest of their friends, who were still standing under the entryway awning.

Doctor Tofu was speaking with Miso.

"—ank you again for getting them." Doctor Tofu was saying.

"—f course. They are non-combatants, I agree that they need to be kept safe while this gets sorted out." Miso replied in a calm voice.

As they spoke, she let go of Riko and sidled up to Chihiro, and whispered to her in a low voice. "Do you have your photo book with you?" She asked.

"You know I never leave home without it." Chihiro said with a wink as she dug into her bag for it.

"—t shouldn't be too much longer now, they've issued death threats on the Tendos, there isn't much further to take this." Doctor Tofu said to Miso.

"—agree. You're completely surrounded, you know." Miso replied casually.

"Here you go." Chihiro said to her as she handed her the photo book.

She grabbed it and opened it to the back. "Do you mind if I borrow some prints of all of you to hand out, so the soldiers know who not to shoot?" She asked as she grabbed several recent photos of each of her friends, and some of her family members, Ranma, and Doctor Tofu as well, for good measure.

"Well now, that sounds like an extremely good cause. Why don't you take extra, just in case." Chihiro said with a wide smile.

"Thanks, I'll get them back for you once this is all over." She said.

"Don't worry about it, I have the negatives, I can always just make more prints." Chihiro said with a wink.

She smiled and turned towards Miso and Doctor Tofu as she tuned in again to what they were saying.

"—I've been watching them slowly increase their numbers at night. That was why I asked you to bring the girls in, I knew they'd be safe with you." Doctor Tofu replied to Miso in an unworried voice.

Miso smiled at that, but said nothing in response. Instead the _nurse_ changed the topic. "I think they would be even more safe if they just stayed with me until this is over. I don't think they should stay here." Miso said.

Riko and the others looked up at that and looked first at Miso, then at herself. She didn't know why, but she suddenly felt like a little girl playacting at being an adult. Listening to the calm way Miso was suggesting taking control of the safety of her friends left her with no doubt that she had a lot to learn about being an adult and handling problems.

She spoke up as she bowed politely to Miso again. "I would prefer it if my friends stayed here where they will be protected by the soldiers."

Miso raised an eyebrow at her. "Soldiers die in war, Miss Tendo. If one side kills enough of them, they win the war. Are you sure your soldiers are up to the task before them?"

"The Amazons haven't killed anyone yet. I think they're bluffing. I don't think they want to take things that far. Besides, if they killed anyone, this whole thing could escalate to an international incident. They wouldn't want their government focusing on them, or ours out for revenge." She said in as confident a tone as she could muster.

Miso smiled sadly at her. "I don't think the Amazons are afraid of the Chinese government, or our government, my dear. I wouldn't count on that fear to keep this from escalating. I also wouldn't count on them bluffing, either. Amazons are known to try guile and deceit and outright bullying, but if they are stymied long enough, they will resort to wanton violence as well.

"I have more than—" She began to say.

"Miss Tendo, there are people approaching the gate saying you called for them." A soldier announced as he stepped through the gate and waved at her.

She nodded. "Be right there." She called out as she turned back to look at Miso. "Like I was saying, I have more than just the soldiers in play." She said as she turned towards the gate.

"Riko, come with me, please. The rest of you, can you please start setting up the dining room as a command and control center?" She asked her friends. They smiled and nodded, and ducked into the front door as she walked towards the front gate with Riko in tow.

Riko joined her and stood next to her silently as she spoke briefly with Captain Maki and let the rest of the people in. There were about twenty of them, and their skill sets ranged widely, but all of them would be incredibly useful.

She waved them in to the interior of the walls then turned to face Captain Maki as he raised an eyebrow at her. She smiled tightly at him. "I don't expect you to accommodate them, Captain. Just please don't get in their way." She said.

"I ... will do what I can. You are the mission commander, so it is your prerogative to set the mission parameters ... ma'am." He said in a strained voice.

"They are just here to back you up. They will stay in the shadows for the most part. I will be placing them under the command of my friend Riko here, who will be directing my team. She's worked with all of them before." She said as confidently as she could.

Riko nodded next to her and smiled easily at Captain Maki. "Don't worry, I won't let them get underfoot. If they do their thing like they normally do, you won't even know they're around." Riko said with a wink.

"Very well, I will inform my men of their presence, and give out their general descriptions. As long as they are inside the walls, if my men see them, they won't shoot. I can't make any guarantees if they surprise them outside the walls though." He said hesitantly.

"Hopefully it won't be an issue. But I will let them know that those are the rules." Riko said confidently as both of them turned to leave.

"Orders, ma'am?" Captain Maki asked persistently. She smiled tightly and turned back around. She could tell he thought that his assignment was rather ridiculous, and that he also thought it would be easy. But he was still taking it seriously, like a professional soldier would be expected to behave. She had intended to wait until later to give him his full set of orders, but since he wanted them now, she would do it in front of Riko.

"Here are pictures of my friends, and family, and Doctor Tofu. Please show them to your soldiers, and have them memorize everyone's faces." She said as she handed over the stack of photos.

"Yes, ma'am. Every soldier in this company will be familiarized with what your family members and friends look like in short order. And each platoon and squad commander will be given copies of the pictures to keep for continuing reference."

"Perfect, then your orders are simple. Stop anyone trying to get past those walls who isn't myself, Ranma, or one of the people in those photos ... with as much force as possible." She said coldly.

"We would prefer to try to capture when we can, ma'am, especially in civilian areas like this." Captain Maki said with disapproval evident in his voice.

She leaned in towards him and locked eyes with him. "That would be a bad idea. The people threatening my family are fast, powerful, and deadly. You may only get one chance at stopping them. If you fail, and my family is harmed. I will be ... unpleasant, and I will hold you personally responsible. If _anyone_ in my family is killed, including my friends, then ... even if it is the last thing I do, I will make you and your soldiers pay for that failure in the worst way possible. General Nagai gave me his word that you and your men would be up to the job. I will _personally_ help the General execute you if you fail. Do I make myself clear?" She growled at him. She saw Riko look at her with wide, shocked eyes, but she ignored her friend.

Captain Maki snapped to attention, saluted, and yelled out an agreement in parade ground cadence and volume. "Ma'am, yes ma'am! Rules of engagement will be to shoot to kill, no questions asked, no warning given on sight of unauthorized persons attempting to breach the security perimeter! You have my word, your family will be safe, or we will die trying!"

She held his gaze for a moment, then nodded in satisfaction and returned his salute. She could see in his eyes both a mixture of fear and blazing hot anger at being threatened by her. She didn't care. She was so far past caring about such things that it scared even herself a little bit. She was absolutely, one hundred percent, willing to do _anything_ to keep her family safe.

Riko looked at her with very wide eyes as they turned back around and walked back through the gate and shut it behind themselves. They walked a little ways back towards the front door, then stopped and turned to watch the soldiers. Doctor Tofu and Miso were nowhere to be seen. They were alone for the moment. She was feeling increasingly chaotic inside, so it was probably a good thing that they were alone.

Riko opened her mouth to say something, but froze when Ranma rounded the corner of the house, and called out to her. "Nabiki, there you are, I've been looking for you." He said earnestly. He jogged up to them, and seemed to notice Riko for the first time. "Oh, hey, Riko." He said before he turned back to her. "Nabiki, can I talk ta ya?" He asked.

Riko smiled and backed away from her. "How quickly they forget the girls they make out with at school...I'll leave you two alone." Riko said in a cheerful voice as her friend quickly backed away from them and headed to the front door.

She looked at Ranma and felt the immediate resurgence of her desire to be with him, and the weird aching inside of her that seemed to get worse whenever he was around. There was something _really_ wrong with her.

He smiled nervously at her and stepped a little bit closer to her and reached for her hand. She allowed him to take it and waited and watched him. She didn't know what he wanted to say, and it wasn't the best time for him to be trying to chat with her.

_...he promised..._

"So ... why is the Army here?" He asked softly.

She smiled at him softly. In a way she was relieved he didn't want to talk about their relationship. "I told Shampoo I'd give her a war... I couldn't very well say that and not follow through, now could I?" She answered him flippantly, hoping to at least get a smile out of him. Instead, he frowned, which actually hurt her more than she could explain. At least Riko had been impressed with the resources she could wield to protect her family.

_...he promised..._

"Yeah ... but ... Nabiki ... nobody says stuff like that an' means it..." He said hesitantly.

She shrugged in response. He should know by now that she wasn't like most other people.

He sighed and tried again. "It's just ... I don't understand..." He said carefully as he cast his eyes downward.

"What don't you understand?" She asked him in a voice she was trying to keep friendly and welcoming. She didn't want to fight with him, especially not while she was fighting with herself.

"It's ... I don't ... don't you trust me?" He whispered.

She looked at him and blinked in surprise. "Of course I trust you. I think I trust you more than anyone now, Ranma." She said gently as she squeezed his hand.

"You trust me ... but you didn't think I could protect you?" He whispered.

Her smile faltered as her heart rate increased. "It's not like that, Ranma. I do trust you. But it's getting really serious now, and I had to be absolutely sure that my sisters would be protected. You and Daddy and Doctor Tofu are strong, but nobody can fight and stand watch all night, every night, for days on end, forever. The soldiers can, Ranma. Hopefully, they will be the end of this. I have enough pull with the Military to keep the soldiers here literally for years if necessary. Hopefully the Amazons will see them, and decide that they don't want to fight anymore, and they'll just go away." She said stubbornly.

She could feel the burning, itchy feeling starting up again inside herself like she had felt that morning. The feeling was heavy in her chest. She felt oddly angry that she was having to justify saving the lives of her sisters. No price was too high to pay for that, including people's pride. She couldn't trust _anyone_ else to do it, she had to _make sure_ that it was done, and done right, and that meant she had to do it herself.

_...he promised..._

... _alone_...

Ranma stepped closer to her and took her other hand in his and pulled her to him in a loose hug. His warmth enveloped her, as did the subtle but always present scent of cedar wood and flowers. Something about the flowers reminded her of something. She didn't know what it was, but it was pulling on her memory strongly.

"I think I understand what yer sayin' ... I just ... I don't know what ta do now." He said quietly to her.

She put her head down against his chest and sighed. "You could just go inside, and have a normal dinner, and a normal night at home. You could maybe think about planning more dates to take me on. Or we could just talk about stuff. We could shift our lives back from constantly talking about life and death stuff, and fighting, and fear and anger, and we could just talk about ... I don't know, movies and books or something. You know, normal stuff." She said in a rising tone.

She couldn't help it. She was annoyed. She didn't know why, but she just felt ... so ... angry lately. And the fact that he didn't seem to know what to do with himself if he wasn't standing guard over her, bothered her.

_This ... just isn't going to work, is it? We're just too different._ She thought sadly as she looked up at him.

He misread her body language and pulled her in to a tighter hug. "Don't worry, Kiki. Nobody's gonna hurt you or your family. Even if they get through the soldiers, they won't get through me." He said confidently.

"Ranma, I—" She tried to protest.

"It's going to be all right, I promise." He said.

She gasped a stepped back from him sharply as she shrugged out of his hug and pulled her arms around herself tightly. The words he'd said were echoing around in her mind like shrapnel. " _What?!_ " She whispered in shock.


	54. YOU PROMISED!

[これは悲しいです。ごめんなさい。]

[soundtrack for this one: _Sober_ , by **P!nk (Pink)** ]

[This chapter was the first thing I ever wrote for this story, it was the seed that the story grew from.]

Nabiki backed away from Ranma rapidly as tears flooded to her eyes and she had to fight them back to see. Her heart was suddenly racing, and her breath was coming in short panicked rasps as what he'd said echoed in her mind and connected with her on a primal level she didn't understand, and didn't know how to deal with.

"You what?" She asked him again in a small shaking voice. She felt like she was coming apart inside.

He was looking at her strangely, and answered her slowly, like he was afraid of her. "I ... I said I ... promise, I promise it will be all right." He looked at her with increasing worry on his face.

She was panicking. She didn't know why, but she could feel herself spiraling out of control. Whatever was wrong with her was getting worse.

"You shouldn't ... you shouldn't make promises like that. You CAN'T make promises like that!" She said to him sternly as her voice caught repeatedly and she fought back tears.

"W-why not?" He asked her with confusion in his eyes.

That stopped her cold for a moment. She didn't have an answer to that which she could explain with words. She just knew that he shouldn't be making promises like that. The anger inside of her was growing. She felt ... wrong. Something was wrong with her, she knew that. It just wasn't normal to be crying all the time for no real reason, or lashing out at people in anger for small things.

She was so happy that Ranma was interested in her, and that he was so nice to her. He was warm, and friendly, and calm, and caring. He made her feel ... happy. She wasn't sure what love was, but she was pretty sure it was what she felt when she was with him.

So she didn't understand why she felt so bad sometimes ... like she did now. It was like ... something inside her was broken, or leaking, or something. She couldn't really explain it. She kept getting hot flashes of anger that came from nowhere. She also kept feeling sad and tearful in random bouts.

She looked over at him, and tried to figure out how to break down the barriers between them. She understood on a certain level why Akane had so much trouble telling him how she felt. Doing that would make Akane vulnerable. As for herself, she could tell him, but ... doing more than that ... was hard.

She didn't talk to him about feelings. She didn't talk to him about her hopes, her wishes, her fears. He didn't know the _real_ her. He knew the parts of her that everyone knew, and a tiny bit more that nobody knew. In total, Doctor Tofu and Daddy, and even Riko still knew her better than Ranma did, though.

That wasn't right. Ranma should know her best if she was going to be in a relationship with him. She pulled in a shaking breath and tried to steady herself. She clenched her hands into fists at her side, and closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them she found him staring at her in confusion.

She sighed and tried to make him understand. "Ranma, who am I?" She asked him in a tired voice, mirroring what Miso had asked her earlier. She was exhausted from fighting the battle inside herself.

"Is this a game?" He asked in an unamused tone.

She shook her head slowly at him and locked her eyes on his as she tried to control the shaking in her hands.

"You're ... Nabiki..." He said slowly.

"And?" She prompted him.

"And ... you're my fianceé?" He said in a questioning tone. She knew he was saying what he thought she wanted to hear. So she tried prompting him again as she fought tiredly against the darkness rising up inside her.

"Yes, but who am I? If you were going to describe me to someone, and not using my family name, or the names of my sisters, or your relationship with me ... what would you say? Who am I?" She asked him as she closed her eyes and listened to the wind and tried to keep herself from falling apart.

"You're ... geez I dunno, Nabiki ... why're ya askin' me this?" He replied in a confused and plaintive voice.

"Can you ... just ... please?" She whispered to him with her eyes still closed.

She heard him sigh then speak again after a few moments of silence. "You're really smart, an' ya care about your family. You know a lot of people an' a lot of things. Um ... you don't give up ... an' ... I don't know, you're funny?" He said quietly, in an embarrassed voice.

He'd tried, she'd give him that. He'd tried very hard. She knew he was still saying things he thought she might want to hear, and he had wisely avoided calling out her physical appearance again like he had done on their date. She opened her eyes and let the tears spill out on to her cheeks that she had been trying to hold back. He'd tried, but it hadn't worked.

She had hoped that he could maybe help her. She'd had a small hope that hearing him try to connect with her on an emotional level might help her fix whatever was wrong with her inside. But he didn't know enough specifics about her to do it. Riko could do it, but she wasn't trying to build a relationship with Riko.

 _This is all my fault. I didn't let him get to know me well enough, fast enough. I spent too much time worrying about Akane and the rest of them. I was doing what I always do, taking care of business first. But I should have been spending the time we had together getting to know him better, and letting him know me better_. She thought sadly as she closed her eyes again.

 _I'm pathetic. This just isn't going to work. He isn't going to want to be with me when he finds out how much of a mess I am_. She thought sadly. _I tried to let him in, but it didn't help. If anything I think I feel worse_. She thought dejectedly while she sank slowly to the ground as the strength in her legs fled. She couldn't look at him. She was too ashamed. The tears wouldn't stop. Whatever was wrong with her was getting worse.

 _I have to let him go_. She thought in despair.

"Nabiki ... what did I—" Ranma asked in a panicked tone.

"I know Ranma. I know. You don't know what you did. You want to make it better. You want to protect me. You want to save me. I know. I know. I know..." She said in a voice fast rising to hysterical. The darkness inside her was growing stronger.

"Well, then what's wr—"

"I DON'T KNOW!" She screamed as she forced herself to look up at him briefly, pitifully. Then she hurriedly looked down again. The anguish in his eyes was unbearable.

"Come on, Kiki, it's not that bad..." He said nervously.

She felt herself break inside a little more with his use of Riko's nickname for her. She found herself shaking her head, but she wasn't sure exactly why. "I know ... Ranma, I know. It isn't your fault. It's nothing you did or didn't do. It's me. I'm broken. Something is _really_ wrong with me... and I don't know how to fix it." She said, grief-stricken.

"What do ya mean?" He said. She heard him crouch down so his eyes were more on level with hers. She flinched away from him. Not because she was afraid of him. She just didn't feel she was worthy of him. She'd made him go through _so much_ to be with her in the limited way they had been together, and now here she was, trying to tell him that she didn't think they could make it work.

"I ... Ranma ... I don't deserve you. I'm broken. I'm just going to be a burden for you. You ... you shouldn't pick me." She whispered.

There was dead silence between them for a moment. She could hear the wind mixed with her own panicked breathing. A moment later, his shadow moved on the ground she was staring at, and she felt his hand rest lightly on her shoulder. She flinched again, but didn't shrug him off. She desperately wanted him to hold her, and sooth her, and make things better for her. But she knew he couldn't, and it would be unfair to ask him to try.

"What are you sayin'?" He asked softly.

 _Oh God! He's going to make me say it!_ She thought in terrified shame. She dragged her eyes up to his, pulled in a shuddering breath, opened her mouth ... and said absolutely nothing. She shook her head sadly. It was too hard. _I can't say it, not to his face! It's too awful! I'm going to have to run away and write him a letter!_ She thought in misery as she let herself slump down and lay to the side of him on the ground. She was sobbing softly now.

Ranma shifted himself so he was sitting down, but a little further away from her. She knew him well enough now to know that women in pain freaked him out. That only made it worse. It was killing her that she had to hurt him.

"Come on, Kiki, we can—" He started to say.

"I don't have anything else I can offer you, Ranma. You've seen all of it. My world is money, and power, and people and information. That's all I have to offer you. I don't think it's enough, Ranma, we're ... we're too different." She whispered miserably as she sobbed.

"But I—"

"I know. You think we can make it work ... but ... I don't. Your world ... terrifies me, Ranma. In my world, I could get killed with the same chances everyone else has. In your world, just standing next to you could get me killed. I have never had someone try to kill me before I got involved with you. That isn't exactly something I can just forget about. Your world is ... just too dangerous." She managed to get out in between her sobbing. She was still laying down on the ground with her eyes closed. She couldn't bear to look at him.

"But I—"

"Yes, you'll protect me. I know. And you know what, I believe you. I know if I asked you to, you would stick next to me night and day, for the rest of my life, and keep me safe. And I think you would be happy to do it. But Ranma ... I don't want to live like that ... that's no way to live. I don't want to be afraid all the time. I want to be free to go out with my friends. I don't want to have to always be looking over my shoulder. I don't want to have to train hard in the Martial Arts just so I can be strong enough to survive an attack long enough to get away and find you. It's just ... it's not going to work, Ranma." She said in between gasping breaths as she sobbed.

"But..."

"No, Ranma. It will be better for both of us..." she paused as she let the full weight of what she was about to say settle on her. The darkness inside her was indifferent, and she couldn't find the light any more. She looked up at him between eyelashes stuck together with tears. "It will be better for both of us ... if..." She couldn't finish the thought. But, she could tell he understood. His eyes changed. She still saw love in them, but she saw betrayal in them now as well. She couldn't look at him any more. She had never been more ashamed of herself in her whole life. _I want to die! I deserve to die!_ She wailed to herself as she slumped to the ground and covered her face with her arm and wept.

She could see Ranma's legs on the ground in between the small gap between her arm and the ground. He didn't move for a while. Eventually she saw him stand up. He took a small step towards her. Then he stopped and stepped back. A few moments later he took a larger step towards her, and paused again. Inside she desperately wanted him to pick her up, hold her, and make it all right, but she knew it couldn't happen. He had to let her go.

He took another tentative step towards her. She flinched, and he stopped. _I have to make him choose Akane! I have to! There's no other way!_ She thought miserably.

He stayed immobile for several long seconds which stretched into minutes. Eventually he took a small step back, then another. He stayed still for a few moments longer, then his feet twisted as he turned away from her. A moment later they twisted back, and she held her breath. After half a minute his feet twisted off to the side again and then he started to slowly walk away. She closed her eyes and cried defeated and miserable tears.

She didn't know how much time had passed before she felt a strong hand reach down and reach under her arm. She sighed and looked up expecting to see Ranma. It was Akane. Akane smiled at her with a strained smile. She could tell Akane was trying to be nice, but was exasperated with her.

"Come on, get off the ground. Let's go inside and talk." Akane said quietly as she pulled her up, and practically carried her into the house.

_...HE PROMISED!..._

She nodded mutely and let Akane move her. She didn't really care if Akane wanted to have it out with her. She deserved it. After everything Ranma had done for her ... she _deserved_ to be punished. She could feel something inside herself straining terribly. Something was _very_ wrong with her. She could feel herself growing angry, and that didn't even make sense. She should just be feeling sad. Maybe Akane would be able to say something that could help?

Akane walked her up the stairs and brought her into her room. Her little sister set her down on the bed and then took a step back from her and put her hands on her hips.

"What are you doing?" Akane asked in a voice seething with emotion. She didn't say anything to Akane. She had nothing to say for what she'd done. "It wasn't enough for you to take him from me, but now that you've had your fun, you're just throwing him away?!" Akane asked with disbelief in her voice.

She knew she should tell Akane it wasn't like that, but whatever was wrong with her was getting worse. She was growing angry, and she didn't know why, but she couldn't control it.

_...HE PROMISED!..._

Akane reached over and put her hands on her shoulders gently, but firmly. "Look at me!" Her younger sister demanded.

She dragged her chin up off her chest slowly, like it weighed a hundred pounds. She met Akane's eyes and saw anguish with righteous fury in her sister's eyes. That wasn't good. Akane's anger was fueling her own.

_...HE PROMISED!...HE PROMISED!..._

Akane shook her gently. "Are you really going to just walk away from him? Just like that?" Akane demanded.

The anger inside her was clawing its way to the surface. The edges of her vision were blurring a bit. She knew she needed to control it, but she didn't know how.

 _This is dangerous. I need to get out of here!_ She thought as she surged to her feet as she summoned the remainder of her strength. She stepped towards the door, but Akane held firm to her shoulders.

"No you don't. Answer me! What are you doing? YOU WERE WINNING! Why are you walking away from him, what's wrong with you?!" Akane demanded in a rising tone of voice. "Was it all ... was it all just a game to you?" Akane added in a horrified voice.

She dragged her eyes back to Akane, slowly, heavily. The weight of what she was trying to hold back was unbearable. She couldn't hold it back much longer. "Let me go." She said in a low, dangerous voice. The anger was taking control of her. She was watching it happen in her own mind, and she didn't know what to do to stop it. It was almost like another person was taking control of her, and all she could do was watch.

"Not until you answer me. You owe me that much!" Akane stated firmly.

"I ... don't owe you ... anything ... " She said, carefully, with as much control as she could manage. She shrugged her shoulders hard, and forced Akane to let go, and stood up. They stood that way, nose to nose, in silent consideration for a moment. It was the calm before the storm. She could tell Akane had figured out something was wrong with her, but she knew that Akane had no idea how _very_ wrong things were inside her.

 _I need to get away, get away getaway...away..._ She chanted to herself as she took a step to the side of Akane, and looked away from her younger sister's hurt and indignant stare. She knew that Akane loved him. She knew that Akane was trying to protect him, and in a weird way protect her as well. But at the moment, whatever was wrong with her didn't care about that. The anger inside her was clawing its way determinedly to the surface, and looking for _any_ excuse to break free. She took another hurried step towards the door.

_Hide, need to hide, run away, can't, I can't I can't I can't...HE PROMISED!..._

Akane moved with the kind of speed Ranma sometimes used. It wasn't so fast that her sister blurred, but it was still much faster than she herself could move. Akane stopped in front the door and stood facing her with her hands on her hips and outrage on her face.

_Oh, no, Akane, no, please, don't force me to ...HE PROMISED!..._

"Tell me you haven't just been playing games. I can't believe even you would do that." Akane said in a horrified voice.

She shook her head. "...not... playing..." She struggled to say as she fought the darkness inside.

"So, you've been sleeping together, and hanging on his arm, and sitting in his lap and getting him to hold your hand in public ... and what, now it's just all over? Just like that? Are you bored with him now?" Akane asked hotly.

"I ... I don't ..." She tried to say as the darkness surged even closer to the surface. She was losing the fight.

"Are you really giving him up?" Akane asked in disbelief.

"I ... I DON'T WANT TO, ALL RIGHT?! I DIDN'T MEAN IT ... I don't think ... I just ... I CAN'T... I CAN'T..." She yelled as she took a step back from Akane as tears slipped down her cheeks. "I'll ... I'll make it up to him ... I'll..." She gasped as the anger and darkness found more holes inside her defenses and got closer to the surface.

"Do you even have real feelings for him?" Akane asked angrily.

The darkness inside her was starting to leak out, she felt like lashing out. "Hey! You know what?! You don't get to lecture me. YOU didn't speak up for him and say you wanted to be engaged to him when Daddy asked. YOU didn't stand up for him when that girl accused him of groping her. And this whole thing wouldn't have even started if YOU hadn't thrown his engagement away! You can't have a fiancé until you grow up, Akane." She said angrily with tears streaming down her cheeks.

_...HE PROMISED!..._

"Oh yeah, well at least I'm grown up enough to call my father Dad, not 'Daddy.' What are you, seven?" Akane shot back hotly.

"It's none of your business what I call Daddy!" She replied just as hotly. "And this isn't about Daddy, this is about Ranma." She growled.

"Right ... and you just threw him away. Clearly he wasn't that special to you." Akane said coldly.

"He IS special! There's nobody else like him, NOBODY! He showed me things I'll never forget, OKAY?! Is that what you want to hear? He's beyond special, he's one of a kind! He protected me, he was kind to me, and he even taught me to see with my Ki!" She shouted. She knew she was just stringing together random facts about him, but she was protecting her more private moments with him. Even in the heat of the moment, she didn't feel that anyone had a right to know about them but her and Ranma.

"That isn't that special, any serious Martial Artist can do it!" Akane said dismissively.

"It was special to me! You're just jealous!" She yelled back.

A sad, and confused look crossed Akane's face. "OF COURSE I'M JEALOUS! HE'S NEVER TAUGHT ME A DAMN THING! WHAT'S SO SPECIAL ABOUT YOU?!" Akane screamed at her as tears streamed down her sister's cheeks.

"Maybe he was willing to teach me because I had the guts to tell him how I felt, you coward." She said darkly. The darkness inside her was almost all the way to the surface. She was almost out of control.

"How dare you! GET OUT OF MY ROOM!" Akane said in a low, dangerous tone while stepping clear of the door and pointing angrily at it.

"FINE!" She yelled as she stepped quickly across the room, yanked the door open, stepped through it, and slammed it closed. She stood in the hallway for a moment breathing heavily and trying desperately to control the darkness inside her. It wasn't working. The dragon inside her was spitting fire in rage.

She heard footsteps coming up the stairs. She turned to look at the sound, and saw Ranma's head appear at the top of the stairs as he ascended them.

 _Oh, perfect. JUST PERFECT._ She screamed inside herself.

"Nabiki, are you—" He started to say with concern in his voice as he reached the landing.

"Don't, just ... don't. Not right now, Ranma, NOT RIGHT NOW!" She said as she rushed past him and down the stairs.

_...have to get away..._

_...hide..._

_...have to get away..._

_...can't..._

_...I can't I can't..._

"But, Nabiki—" He called out after her.

"No! I can't, I JUST CAN'T RIGHT NOW!" She yelled as she ran down the stairs. She hit the ground floor running and bolted for the kitchen. She ran right past Kasumi who yelped in surprise. She yanked the back door open and slammed it behind herself as she ran mindlessly to the rear of the house. She only stopped running once she'd reached the safety of the trees. A half-remembered memory of crouching under those trees when she was a little girl in pain flashed into her mind. She shook her head to clear it. She felt like she was coming apart.

She heard the back door open, and turned to see Kasumi hurrying after her. Her older sister rushed over to where she was crouching, crying under the tree and trying to control her panicked breathing.

Kasumi smiled gently at her. "I knew I'd find you under this tree. It's finally happening. Nabiki, Nabiki listen to me. LISTEN TO ME!" Her older sister said to her urgently. She felt Kasumi reach over and grasp her chin softly. She looked up at Kasumi through her tears and tried to focus on what her older sister was saying.

"Remember when I told you this morning that you might soon understand what I was talking about, and how I said it might be starting to come back to you? It's happening now. What you're feeling is normal, you just have to—" Kasumi tried to say, but was interrupted by the sound of the back door slamming open again. They both turned to look at who it was. It was Akane.

"What are you telling Kasumi about me?" Akane demanded hotly. She glared at Akane as the darkness surged even closer to the surface.

"She hasn't told me anything, Akane. Calm down, this isn't what you t—" Kasumi tried to say.

"I'm not a coward!" Akane yelled, ignoring Kasumi.

She found herself getting to her feet. "Yes, you are." She said simply as she glared at Akane.

"I have stood and fought more things than you ever have." Akane said in an outraged tone.

"Yes Akane, you fight. You like to fight. That doesn't take courage. That's just a hobby for you!" She shot back.

"Girls, please, calm down. Akane, this isn't the time. Nabiki, please listen to me, what you're feeling is—"

Akane stepped past Kasumi and talked over her. "So what's the big courageous thing you've done? Huh? All I see you doing lately is fainting, getting protected by Doctor Tofu and Ranma, and crying when you think nobody is looking!" Akane said angrily.

The hot ball of fury inside her burst into flame again. She couldn't believe Akane would dare to say that to her!

"Whoa!" Kasumi said as she spun to face Akane and stepped in front of her protectively. "Come on, Akane, that's not fair—" Kasumi protested.

"Don't you dare take her side! I—" Akane yelled.

"Enough!" She yelled over both of them as she shouldered past Kasumi and stepped closer to Akane. "I'll tell you what I did, I took a chance! I swallowed my pride, and I went for it with him. I did something I was actually afraid of. It's not a hobby for me. I'm serious!" She yelled as she fought desperately to contain the darkness inside herself. She didn't have much time left, and she knew it.

"So you think stealing Ranma makes you brave?" Akane yelled back.

"I. DIDN'T. STEAL. HIM! You GAVE him up!" She yelled in a voice quickly losing control. She knew the soldiers could see and hear her, and the mercenaries, and probably everyone else, but she didn't care.

"I ... I ... " Akane stammered.

"Exactly. You're too scared to say how you feel. You've been doing this since Mom died, Akane. You're pathetic!" Even as she was saying it, she couldn't believe she was saying it. She immediately regretted saying it, but she couldn't seem to stop herself.

"What did you say?" Akane whispered dangerously to her.

"You're pathetic!" she yelled at Akane again, hysterically.

"If I am, so are you! You haven't let yourself feel anything _real_ since Mom died. I think the last few days are the first I have seen you cry since before Mom died. What's the matter, Nabiki, getting freezer burn on your heart?"

The edges of her vision started to blur. She was starting to see white. Something _terrible_ was happening.

_...alone..._

_...he promised!..._

_...abandoned..._

_...he promised!..._

_...HE PROMISED! HE PROMISED! HE PROMISED!..._

She couldn't hold it back any longer. Her breathing was coming in trembling, ragged gasps. She was furious, and she didn't know why. Her fight with Akane shouldn't be making her as angry as she was. She was livid, and ashamed of herself, but at the same time she was happy to be acting — _**finally** acting_ — as she felt something in her about to break, the source of her anger. It was an ugly anger, it was fury, it was _hate_. She was shaking with it. Everything seemed to be fading into a blurred and hazy nothingness. The darkness inside her rocketed up to the surface, like a snake striking its prey, grabbed her, and took control as whatever was wrong with her inside, finally broke free.

"Nabiki... NABIKI, NO! NABIKI, PLEASE LISTEN TO ME, YOU—" She heard Kasumi scream, but she tuned her out.

She felt something moving towards her at incredible speed out of her peripheral vision, but she didn't care, she lunged at Akane as she balled her hand up into a fist and aimed it straight at Akane's face. Akane's eyes widened in shock as her little sister realized what she was doing and Akane's hands started to come up to block, but they would never get there in time.

"I AM NOT FROZEN!" She screamed at Akane, as she completely lost control.

A blur of motion crossed her vision and solidified into Tofu who leaped in front of Akane to shield her. He managed to get in front of Akane and took the hit without raising his hands. Nabiki realized immediately it was him, but she didn't care. She swung again and again as the heat of her shame and anger, and something far older and far worse, burned bright in her. Akane was right, and she knew it. She both loved and hated Akane for making her face it.

_I can't!_

_I can't!_

_I can't!_

_HE PROMISED!_

She was angry, angrier than she had ever been in her whole life. She was burning with it, she needed to let it out. She hit Tofu over and over again. She hit him in the face and knocked his glasses off. She clawed at his chest, she kicked him. She hit him like she wanted to kill him. She hit him until she couldn't lift her arms any more. He just stood there and took it.

She could see Akane standing to the side of Tofu now. She was standing there looking blankly at her with Kasumi standing next to her. Both of them looked shocked, and both of them were crying.

Kasumi's mask was broken.

She finally realized she was screaming as she interrupted the sound when she gasped for breath as she sobbed. It was an inhuman scream. She didn't know how she was making it. All she knew was she hurt. She hurt _so bad!_ She couldn't breathe. She was dying. _Oh God oh God oh God! Why did she have to die?!_

" **WHY DID YOU LET HER DIE?! YOU PROMISED YOU'D SAVE HER!** " She screamed out loud as she raised her hand and hit Tofu again as hard as she could in the face. The whisker stubble on his face scratched her hand, and he actually took a step back under her renewed onslaught.

Akane had sunk to her knees and was openly weeping as her younger sister held on to Kasumi's legs and looped her hands back around to cover her mouth. Kasumi had lost it as well. Her older sister had her face buried in her hands as she wept. She had never seen Kasumi cry before. It was one of the most disturbing things she had seen since Mom had been carried out of the house under a blanket.

 _It's going to be all right, I promise._ The words Tofu had said to her when she was a little girl were repeating in her mind over and over again.

She screamed at Tofu in a rage she hadn't even known she was capable of, as hot tears streaked down her cheeks. "YOU DID IT! YOU LET HER DIE! IT'S YOUR FAULT! YOU SAID YOU WOULD SAVE HER, AND YOU DIDN'T! YOU PROMISED! YOU PROMISED, YOU PROMISED, **YOU PROMISED!** WHY DIDN'T YOU SAVE HER?! WHY?! WHY?!WHY?!WHY?!WHYWHYWHYYYY?!" She trailed off into a wordless scream.

He just stood there. She could see he was crying too, and she was glad. She wanted him to suffer. She _hated_ him!

" **I HATE YOU!** I HATE YOU IHATEYOU IHATEYOUIHATEYOUUUUUU!" She screamed as she fell to her own knees and threw her head back and howled as loud as she could, as if she was being murdered. She screamed her throat raw, and then kept screaming until her voice gave out. Oh God, it hurt so bad! She wished Tofu was dead. She wished she was dead. _WHY DID MOM HAVE TO DIE?!_

"Why?" She mumbled as her strength left her, and she wept pitifully, with wracking sobs that shook her whole body like a trembling leaf in a hurricane. She sobbed the tears for her dead mother that she had never allowed herself to let go when Mom had died. She'd tried so hard, for so long, to keep it bottled away, where it couldn't hurt her. Where the hurt couldn't touch her. She didn't know how it had gotten out... _but I can't put it back! Oh God, I want to! It hurts so bad!_ She felt herself slumping over as the grief overwhelmed her.

And then Tofu was there again. He gathered her up and held her in his arms while she cried. He didn't say anything, he just held her. She couldn't bear it. It was too much.

_I can't_

_I can't_

_I ca—_

"—n't I can't ... I want to die." She whispered.

"I know. You won't." He whispered back.

"Why didn't you save her?" She asked hatefully. She put all of the malice she was feeling into the question.

"I tried, Nabiki. _I tried so hard_. I did _everything_ I could. I even tried things I wasn't sure I could do. _I broke laws trying to save her!_ I would have done _anything_ to save her! ANYTHING! Your dad would have too. We both would have GLADLY died in her place."

"I hate you." She whispered bitterly, weakly.

"I know. I deserve it." He whispered sadly.

"I hurt so bad." She whispered as her will gave out.

"I do too. Every single day since she died. Forever and ever. I'll _never_ forgive myself for not being good enough to save her. I'll pay for that until I die."

"It hurts ... it hurts so bad." She repeated as she felt herself slipping into unconsciousness. She heard the kitchen door crash open, and heavy footsteps running towards her distantly as she felt herself growing still as the darkness dragged her down into unconsciousness.

"I know. But I've got you, Nabiki. I've got you." He whispered to her as he rocked her gently and held her in his arms.


	55. I Would Do It Again

[soundtrack for this: _Stand By You_ , by **Rachel Platten** ]

[ Author's notes: Yes, the writing is different in this chapter. Yes, it was done on purpose. Yes, it has a meaning. No, I won't tell you what it is ;) I wrote this chapter to connect to the last chapter a long time after I wrote what is now chapter 54. During production of this story I always just had chapter 54 titled the "breaking point" chapter, for obvious reasons ;) ]

_He will be the person that you want to be there when you are sad and when you are happy._

_Mommy is talking to me. I am listening to Mommy tell me about boys in Mommy's warm lap. I love Mommy._

"—ow is she?" _A man's voice is saying._

"—s well as can be expected." _Another man says, both of them sound fuzzy. Is that Daddy? No, someone else. Mommy is fading. Where is Mommy going? I'm sitting on the cold floor. Mommy's warm lap is gone?_

_"—at's wrong with her?" The first man asks._

"—othing's wrong with her. I have been expecting this for a long time now. I'm actually impressed with how long she was able to shut the grief out and keep it bottled up. But with her feelings for him growing stronger, the only way for her to let him in to be with her the way she wants him to be, was to let the grief out and unfreeze herself. She had to un-freeze time inside herself ... she's finally going to have to let herself experience the pain."

_Some man is talking. Where is Mommy? Where is Daddy? I'm in a bed. Why am I in a bed? Where is Mommy? Someone is sitting next to me on the bed and talking. It's the other man. Where's Daddy?_

"—ill she be all right?" _That's Daddy._ Daddy is nearby. I feel a little better. _But ... where is Mommy?_

"—at depends on her. I'm not all right, but I manage. She has been in denial about it for so long, the transition to anger today was a total shock to her system. I have no idea how long she will be in the anger stage. She will probably skip bargaining. I'm worried about depression though. She'll need help with that." _The other man says ... I know that man. That man told me he would take care of Mommy. He PROMISED me he'd take care of her, and that Mommy would be all right. Mommy is ... sick, that's where Mommy is. The man is going to make Mommy better. Isn't he?_

"I can help her." _Daddy says._

"—on't think you can. I don't think I can either." _The man who promised he'd make Mommy better says. Mommy's sick, but where is she?_

"Then who?" _Daddy says._

"—e'll have to." _The other man says. He's a Doctor, right? Where is Mommy? Is Mommy better yet?_

"But ... she will eventually be all right?" _Daddy asks. Is Daddy talking about me, or Mommy?_

"I ... can't say. How about you, how are you?" _The Doctor asks._

"As long as I have my girls, I can hang on." _Daddy says._

"And ... when the last of them gets married and moves on?" _The Doctor asks. Tofu ... Tofu, that's his name. He's going to make Mommy better._

"Then ... I will join my beloved wife." _Daddy says simply. Join her? Join her where? Where is Mommy?_

 _There is silence for a few moments. Then Tofu speaks again, quietly._ "Is that what she would have wanted?"

"I don't care." _Daddy says darkly. His voice scares me._

"She was my friend before she was your wife, I know she wouldn't want that." _Tofu says followed by more silence._

_DEAD!_

_They're talking about Mommy!_

_Mommy ... Mom, is dead!_

_Daddy is talking about dying to be with Mom!_

I gasp sharply as I wake all the way up. The person sitting on the bed next to me jerks as if startled. "—f ... leave me ...—rphan b'fore ... time ...nev'r f'rgiv..." I rasp weakly to Daddy with my eyes still tightly closed.

I hear footsteps running to me, then a man's weight settles gently on my body. I can tell by the smell of his cologne that it's Daddy. He buries his face in my neck, and starts to cry.

"Oh, baby, don't worry. Ignore me. I wasn't serious. Those were just empty words from a bitter, foolish old man." Daddy says as he cries on me.

I feel Tofu stroke my hair. It isn't helping me feel better. I feel ... dark. I feel like I'm ... falling. I need ... I need...

"R-Ranma, where ..." I rasp painfully, my throat hurts for some reason.

"Ranma is ... right outside the door, actually. He has been standing out there waiting to see you since ... earlier. He's very worried about you." Daddy says as he regains control of himself and lifts himself off me.

His words make me feel a little better. Not much, but a little. "Akane...?" I ask weakly.

"Your sister is sleeping. It's the middle of the night." Tofu says. Luckily, you brought the military in to guard the house, so that freed us up to tend to things. Tofu says in a thin attempt at humor. His nervous chuckle dies on his lips though when I don't respond.

"Akane's fine, baby." Daddy tries to reassure me. Good, I'm glad. I hadn't meant to get so angry with her.

"Ka-Kasumi?" I ask. Kasumi had been crying. Kasumi _never_ cried.

Nobody says anything for a moment, then Daddy answers gently. "S-she's resting too. I'm afraid she's having a bit of a hard time, like you are. Doctor Tofu and I are keeping an eye on her, same as with you." Daddy says gently.

I think about that sadly. It seems the only person who's mask hasn't broken, is Tofu's. It's cracked, but it isn't broken. I want to crack a joke about Tofu being near Kasumi's bed, but I can't seem to summon the will to do so. I'm very tired, and I hurt _so badly_. "I ... sorry ... Tofu ... I—" I try to say weakly.

"It never happened. Don't even think about it, Nabiki. I would stand there and let you hit me all day, every day, if it made you feel better." He says kindly as he strokes my hair again.

I can feel myself starting to cry again as the pain surges inside me again. I'm sorry I was out of control earlier. But I'm also still angry at him. I need help. I'm falling. I can't seem to open my eyes. I'm ... slipping into the darkness. I need help, NOW!

_You'll want him to be there when you are sad._

"C-c'n yu ... br-br- get ... Ran...Ranma?" I rasp urgently.

"Are you sure, baby? I can take care of you." Daddy says to me worriedly.

I shake my head softly as I scrunch my eyes even more tightly closed. It hurts everywhere for me to talk or move. My body isn't really what hurts so much ... it's my insides that hurt. I'm hurt .. _badly_ ... I'm dying.

"R-Ran-ma." I manage to labor out again. My thoughts are swirling in a chaotic mess. At the center of my wandering thoughts is Mom. Mom is front and center in my mind right next to the gaping, ragged edged hole in my soul that Mom's absence left me with. I can see Mom's face with my eyes closed. I'm certain that even if my eyes were open, Mom's face would be ghosting over everything.

_The boy that will be for you will be someone you trust, completely._

I am caught between despair and panic. I don't know what is going to make me better. I don't even know if I can get better. I'm broken. I don't think I've really been whole since Mom died. All I know right now is that I miss Mom terribly. I love Daddy, but he can't fix that. And Tofu can't heal me of this.

Hell, I don't think Ranma can make it better either. But ... I want him here anyway. Ranma isn't a healer, or a therapist, he isn't even that great of a listener. But I _need_ him. I feel myself slipping into the abyss. I need an anchor to keep me out of the darkness. I am terrified of what will happen to me if I allow the darkness to pull me all the way down. I don't think I will be able to climb back out if that happens.

_You'll want him to be there when you are sad._

"Of course, baby. I'll go get him." Daddy's voice says. It sounds like he is a lot further away than I know he is. I hear my bedroom door open and close softly, and I close my eyes and try to control the chaos inside myself. But, if anything, my efforts are just making it worse.

_He will be kind to you._

_He will be your confidant._

_He will be your friend._

A moment or a hundred years later, I have no idea, I feel a hand on my shoulder. I know immediately that it's Ranma. I can sense him now. When did that happen? I don't know, but it has. Just having him next to me quiets down my mind a bit. I blink my eyes open and look around the room. Ranma is standing next to my bed and looking down at me with an open expression of anguish on his face. He looks devastated. Daddy and Tofu are no longer in the room.

"R-Ranma?" I make myself say.

He nods fiercely.

_You'll want him to be there..._

"I...I hurt..." I manage to say weakly.

He nods again. I can see in the dim light that he's crying. Dual streaks are running down his cheeks. The great Ranma Saotome, the fearless young man who can fight and win against any foe, is powerless in the face of a problem he can't fight. Still, it makes me feel a tiny bit better that he cares enough about me to be affected so strongly by me being in pain. I can tell he wants to help, he just doesn't know how.

"C-can you..." I try to say, but I have to pause to gather my strength.

"Can I what? What do you need, Nabiki?" He asks earnestly as he crouches down and brings his face right next to mine.

"C-can ... you h-hold me? ... cold." I manage to get out. I know it's impossible for me to be cold. I'm in my bed wrapped in blankets inside my house. But, regardless, I feel cold — at least, those are the best words I can come up with to describe how I feel. My senses are messed up. I can't even really feel my skin right now. The coldness inside me is overpowering my sense of the rest of myself. The world has gone quiet and colorless. I'm dying.

"S-sure, Nabiki ... sure." He says hesitantly. I know he's probably nervous to be climbing into bed with me. But I don't want him to be with me sexually. I need him right now to be my friend, to be my anchor.

I close my eyes and try to control my breathing. The pain inside me is overpowering everything. I honestly feel that if I don't find a way to deal with it, I really am going to die.

_He will be kind to you._

A moment later I feel Ranma gently lift me with his incredibly strong arms. He lays me down softly a little further into the bed. A moment later I feel him climb into the bed behind me carefully. I can feel him lay down and then put an arm around my waist after that. It isn't enough.

Having him in my bed with me should be comforting. But, I feel no connection with him. I'm under the blankets, and he's on top of them and only draping an arm over me. I need a connection to him. If anything, his careful approach to holding me is just making the pain inside me worse.

I open my mouth to speak, but instead gasp as a wave of pain crashes into me. I shudder as the tears come again. Ranma squeezes me with the arm he has around me, but I barely feel it.

"M-more." I manage to choke out as I cry and the icy cold darkness grips me more tightly. He squeezes me a little harder. I shake my head weakly as the pain takes my breath away and the shuddering gets worse. "N-no ... more ... y-you ... hold ... pl—pleea..." I get out but I interrupt myself as a spasm of pain hits me and forces me to involuntarily arch my back and scream as an intense wave of the pain hits me so hard I almost pass out.

Dimly, in the back of my mind, I know that Ranma must be freaking out. I'm sure he has no idea how to handle the situation he's in. But I _need him_ to figure it out anyway. I feel myself slipping into the abyss. If I had to describe it to someone, I would tell them that I feel myself hanging off a cliff suspended over a pit of ... nothing. I feel like only one arm and my head are above the edge of the cliff now; the rest of me is dangling precariously over the abyss with nothing to anchor me in place.

"P-please ... fa-falling...help ... hold ...pl—" I try to say as I try to fight past the pain, but I again interrupt myself as my body spasms again and I have to clench my teeth tightly to ride out the pain as best I can. I can feel myself falling further into the abyss. I am curling up on myself as tightly as I can, trying to arrest the pain. My breathing is coming in rapid, short, sharp gasps now. I can't feel him anymore. I can't feel anything outside of the pain inside myself. The pain is winning. _Oh God, it hurts so much! Death has to be better than this, it has to be!_

"Please." I whimper desperately as tears leak down my cheeks and I gasp from the pain.

A moment later I feel a tremendous warmth spring into life behind me. I know, without sight or sound, that Ranma is coming for me.

_He will be the love of your life._

I feel him urgently put his hands under me and lift me up into his arms as waves of heat pour off him and into me. I feel him wrap me in his arms as I lay staring unseeing at the ceiling. My eyes are open, but all I see is the darkness now. I'm falling. _Oh God, it hurts so bad!_

"Hang on, Nabiki! Hang on!" I hear Ranma say in a panicky voice from very far away. I want to turn back for him, but I don't think I can anymore. The pain is pulling me down relentlessly.

"No! Listen to me! Fight! Don't give in! You're stronger than this! Fight! You're gonna be all right, stay with me!" I hear him shout louder to me. The heat that's pouring off him starts to reach me.

In my mind I turn my head wearily towards the sound of his voice as I hold on to the cliff by my fingertips. I can more feel him now, than see him. He's a bright beacon of warmth pushing the darkness away. He's coming for me, I just have to hang on a little longer ... _just a little longer_ I repeat to myself.

Dimly, I am aware that I am draped limply in his arms, as he holds me in my bed in a half sitting position. But I only exist in my mind right now. I am still hanging from the cliff over the abyss, I can feel my strength giving out.

"Dying..." I manage to whisper.

"You are not! Come back, Nabiki. Come back! Now! I won't let you go, Nabiki, I won't!" I hear him call to me with a voice heavy with the power he's using for me. The intense energy of the waves of heat pouring off him reach into me. I shudder as they start to break through the icy darkness that's pulling me down. I feel his powerful presence in my mind reach down to me, hanging from the cliff, grab hold of me tightly, and pull me up.

The darkness doesn't want to let go of me, though. It clings to me tightly as he pulls me up. I feel like I'm being ripped apart. I scream again as my body convulses.

A moment later I feel him burn with a different and stronger kind of heat as he shouts for me while he holds me in his strong arms. I don't know what Ranma did, but he feels different now. "No! Nabiki, no! You have to fight! Don't give up! Fight, Nabiki, fight!" I understand what he's saying ... but I'm so tired ... I don't want to fight any more. His voice is shaking, I can tell he's scared. I love that he's scared for me.

_Love._

_Love ... I love him._

_Does he love me? I don't really know. He seems to. Is that enough?_

"Nabiki, listen to me, you have to fight. Don't give in to it, Nabiki. I know about pain, you have to fight, you can't give up, or it wins! Come back to me ... please." I hear him say. I can feel his hot tears dripping on to my face and mixing with my own. That's what's different about the heat coming from him now. I can feel his emotions. He's putting into his aura what he still has trouble saying.

_You are going to need a special boy._

_He will cherish you._

_He will be the love of your life._

I gasp loudly as something inside me ignites. It's an old part of me, a forgotten part that's been shut off and hidden for a very long time.

_Love._

_I love him._

_I will ... I'll **fight** ... for him._

I concentrate, and try desperately to pull myself out of the clutches of the abyss. I pull on Ranma's strength. I use the heat of him to help fuel my escape. Dimly I see a small golden light appear at the edges of my vision. It's hardly anything, but it's pushing back against the darkness.

My breath is coming in ragged gasps as I twist in his arms and whimper as hot tears pour out the sides of my tightly clenched eyes.

"That's it, come on, Nabiki. Come back, fight back!" I hear him say. I reach down inside myself and grab hold of the old part of myself I had forgotten about, and pull. I gasp as part of me wakes up that has been asleep for most of my life now. The gasp turns into a scream as the feeling spreads to the rest of me. It's like fire is burning me alive! I twist in his arms and scream in pain and fury.

_I remember._

I remember the day Mom died.

The memories crash back into me with terrible clarity. I remember all of it now. I had only allowed myself to remember the visual part of it. Who had been there, what things had looked like. I had shut off the parts of the memories for how I'd felt.

Now I remember why. I scream. I hate _everything_ and _everyone_. I hate the universe. I'm dying, I want to go be with Mom too.

_Tofu is holding and rocking me. I don't know where Daddy is. He's probably with Mommy._

_Tofu hadn't saved Mommy. He'd let Mommy die, even though he'd promised he'd save her. HE'D PROMISED! I HATE him. I'm dying. I want to be with Mommy._

_Tofu is telling me empty words, that it's going to be okay. I don't believe him. He told me Mommy was going to be okay. HE PROMISED! ... He lied._

_He lied!_

_He lied!_

_He lied!_

_I don't want Tofu holding me. I HATE him!_

_I twist in his arms and weakly try to get him to let me go._

"Hang on, Nabiki! Hang on!" I _hear Ranma say._

_Wait, who's Ranma? Mommy doesn't know a Ranma. Tofu must have brought him with him. He—_

"Come back to me, Kiki, come back!" I _hear Tof— ... Ranma say_.

_Tofu isn't holding me. It's Ranma. Ranma's holding me._

_Tofu held me when Mommy died. Ranma is holding me now._

My mind struggles to sort out memory from reality. Everything is merging together strangely. I need an anchor.

"H-help ... m-me..." I manage to choke out in a strangled voice. I don't know if I am talking to Ranma or Tofu.

"I'm tryin', Kiki, stay with me!" I hear him say.

"H-hold me." I whisper as I feel myself twitch as the waves of pain jump my body around like a puppet dangling in a storm.

"I am..." I hear him say.

"Hold me." I repeat weakly, my strength is fading rapidly.

I feel him settle back into the bed with me in his arms. He sits against the head of my bed. Then he shifts me so I am laying with my chest pressing up against his. He shifts my legs down onto the soft bed, then he wraps his legs around mine as he puts my cheek down on his collar bone next to his neck. I can feel the powerful muscles in his body contract as he pulls me up firmly against himself and squeezes me tightly across my hips and shoulders. He squeezes as tightly as I feel I can endure. If he squeezes even a tiny bit more, I know I'll be hurt. It's helping.

"C-cold." I whisper to him. In response, I feel him clench his body then absolutely blaze with the power inside himself. It radiates off him in waves that hit me hard. I shake as they crash into me. The waves of his heat make their way inside me, to my core. They take my frightened and heartbroken seven year old self, and wrap her up in a blanket and hold her while she cries.

I feel the darkness slipping off me.

"M-more." I manage to gasp out.

In response, Ranma buries his face down next to mine and presses his cheek up against mine as he tightens his legs around mine and pushes even more waves of heat into me. He's burning with the power he's drawing on for me.

I feel the darkness break and slide off me. I pull in a tremendous shuddering breath as I arch my back so strongly against him that I actually manage to lift him up away from the head of my bed. I collapse back against him breathing heavily with shuddering, sobbing breaths.

Color, sound and warmth flood back into my reality. The darkness is slipping away. I shiver from a sudden chill on my exposed sweaty skin in the cool night air. I lay on him, exhausted, and feel that his skin is sweaty against mine as well. Both of us are breathing heavily.

I am laying on the edge of the cliff next to the abyss in Ranma's arms, panting with exhaustion. The little heartbroken girl inside me is bawling. I am too. I'm not crying because I'm slipping into the darkness, though. I'm crying because I miss my mother.

Ranma rocks me and whispers soft shushing sounds into my ear. The worst of the pain is receding. _Oh God, it hurt so bad!_ I know I will be scarred forever from the pain. Ranma is helping though. I'm positive I would have fallen into the darkness if he hadn't been with me to pull me out.

I take a long shuddering breath and try to calm my mind down. I'm not better, but I feel that I've managed to get past the worst of it, at least for now. I feel the waves of heat from him recede a bit as my breathing slows.

I tilt my head to the side and my eyes travel down my arm to my hand, which is cupped gently in his. My skin is glowing with a soft golden light, and pulsing softly. Where my skin meets his, my golden aura is merging with his bright yellow one. Instead of just making a different color of yellow though, it's merging together white. I don't know what that means, but just seeing it makes me feel peaceful.

I close my eyes and settle into Ranma and whisper to him. "Will you ... make me warm?"

"Yes." He says softly as he runs his fingers through my hair and rests them at the nape of my neck softly.

I feel a renewed pulse of heat coming from him. It's softer now, gentle, like the lapping waves of an ebbing tide. It's still powerful, but it isn't frantic and desperate like it had been earlier. It reaches into me and makes me feel better. My breathing slows down even more from the rapid panicked pace I was using, to a slower, deeper pace.

"Hold me until the pain goes away?" I ask him in a slightly stronger voice.

"Of course." He says as he continues to rock with me side to side.

I know I am asking a _lot_ of him. I told him that I didn't want to be engaged to him unless he asked me properly; I made him promise to break up with the other girls. I set out terms for him to be in a relationship with me. And because I'm not strong like Akane, I make him feel like he has to fight for me, to protect me. He even jumps off buildings for me. And I'm sure I scared him earlier when I told him not to choose me, even though I hadn't meant it. In a lot of ways I am nothing but trouble for him. But every time I need him, he's there for me. I _love him_ for that.

My breathing is slowing down more, and my muscles are starting to unclench. I hope desperately that Tofu is doing for Kasumi right now what Ranma is doing for me. I have to make sure. I lift my head up from his chest. "K-Kasumi?" I whisper.

"She's okay, your Dad is with her." Ranma whispers back.

"T-Tofu?" I ask.

"He's with her too. They told me to take care of you while they took care of her."

I am very happy to hear that. I nod softly and lay my head back down on his chest. Kasumi will be all right if Tofu is with her and does what Ranma is doing. Kasumi will need Tofu as much as I need Ranma, if Kasumi is going through the same thing.

I don't think Akane is quite as badly affected as Kasumi and I are. Daddy had sent Kasumi to take Akane to a neighbor's house on the day it had happened. Daddy must have known the end was near.

It had happened while Kasumi had been taking Akane to the neighbor. Only I was there. Only I heard Daddy's wail of grief, and Tofu's repeated curses to anything and everything, especially the Gods.

I know that Tofu broke his hand punching the walls in Daddy's room after Mom died. I also know that Daddy has never bothered to fix those holes. They are still there, behind pictures and other wall fixtures.

The rest of Daddy's room is still exactly the way it was when Mom died. He hasn't ever moved anything of Mom's. He dusts Mom's things, but he leaves them all exactly where they had been, right down to the clothes Mom had been carrying when she had stumbled from her illness. They were still laying right where they had been dropped.

All of us girls know to stay out of Daddy's room unless it's necessary, and to _never_ touch anything that had been Mom's that was in that room.

In most ways, Daddy never left that room. That was the room Mom had died in, and I know that Daddy only ever left the room because of me and my sisters. I know that he hadn't wanted to.

Daddy had ... Daddy had fallen into the darkness, I realize.

Daddy hadn't had anyone to hold him, to help him fight the darkness back. My sisters and I had been too young then, and there was nobody else, and Daddy had needed to be strong, for us.

More hot tears escape my eyes as I think about it all. The grief is still raw and right on the surface. I need to _not_ think about it right now.

"R-Ranma...?" I whisper.

"Yes?" He says in a concerned voice.

"Can you ... can you tell me a story?" I ask weakly. I need something, anything, to take my mind off of thoughts about Mom.

"I don't really know any—"

"Please ... Ranma ... please ... just, any story ...please?" I whisper as I clench my muscles again in his arms and strain against the tears that are pushing past my closed eyes.

He nods and starts telling me about his training trips with his Dad. His story is just day-to-day stuff and details about their training. But it's enough. I focus on his voice, and the words he is saying, and push my grief under that focus. My breathing slows again.

***

"Thank you." I whisper a long time later to him as his story gets more and more quiet as the time passes, and my tears stop and my breathing slows down. I feel sleepy now. The darkness is claiming me again, but it's all right, this darkness isn't scary. I snuggle into him and smile softly. He squeezes me gently in response. He smells like ... "You smell like my mother," I say sleepily.

"I do?" He asks in a confused voice.

I nod peacefully as sleep claims me. "You came back for me." I say softly. It's a statement, not a question.

"Of course." He says just as softly.

"Even though I said..." I whisper.

"Even though..." He replies softly.

"I didn't mean it, I—"

"I know." He says softly.

"I'm sorry ... you had to ..." I whisper, embarrassed at my weakness, and what he went through to help me.

"I would do it again!" He whispers fiercely.

"Did you hear ..." I try to ask. I hope he didn't hear me lose control with Akane and Tofu.

"I heard everything. I'm so sorry." He says in the most serious voice I have ever heard him use.

I nod slowly. I decide I am all right with him sharing all of that with me. He's a part of me now.

"Anything you need from me, just let me know, okay?" He says kindly as he runs his fingers through my hair again.

"...giving ...what ...need." I whisper.

"Kiki?"

"Yes?" I answer, sleepily.

"I ... I ... I'll..."

I know what he's trying to say. I felt it in his aura earlier. I don't need him to say it yet. He saved me from the darkness.

I'm warm now.


	56. 私は貴方に付いていく！

[soundtrack for this: _Rebirth-day_ , by 高垣彩陽さん **(Ayahi Takagaki)** ]

Nabiki knew something was wrong a split second before it happened. She was yanked out of sleep by a hard and cold feeling that jabbed her awake. Ranma was already in motion. He grabbed her by the hip and slid her behind him on the bed as he rose up to his knees to shield her, just as the window exploded inward.

She winced and screamed as she closed her eyes briefly as Ranma's battle aura blazed to life and filled the room with waves of heat as he shouted. When she squeezed her eyes open a heartbeat later, she saw the last of Ranma's blurred movements as he used his super-human speed to keep the debris from hitting her. He was glowing, she could see it, his battle aura was filling the room with a bright yellow light. He jumped to his feet off the bed and dropped the last piece of wood and growled as he rushed towards the window.

Shampoo's older sister Shona came crashing through the hole next. Shona had a determined frown on her face, but no confidence in her eyes. Shona immediately threw several knives at her as soon as she entered the room. Ranma caught every one of them and threw them aside angrily to stick quivering into the wall. She saw blood droplets fly off his hand when he threw the last one.

She scooted backwards on the bed as fast as she could as she tried to get to her feet. Her legs didn't seem to want to cooperate. She heard a commotion coming from outside, like a huge fight was happening, and something else was happening downstairs as well. She didn't think anyone would be coming to help Ranma. Not that she thought he needed it, as she finally managed to get her legs to obey her, and stood up off the bed.

Ranma was now brutally punching and kicking at Shona and pushing the Amazon back away from the bed to prevent Shona from getting past him and attacking. She got to her feet on shaky legs as she slid off the bed and held herself in a fighting stance just in case. She didn't know how long she would last against the Amazon, but she would go down fighting if it came to that.

The fight out in the yard had gone quiet. Whatever was going on downstairs was getting louder. She was pretty sure she could hear Kasumi screaming and Akane yelling Kasumi's name. Shona staggered back from Ranma after he landed a particularly solid punch to her midsection.

A moment later Tofu popped up into the hole in the wall, yanked Shona's head back roughly by grabbing her hair, and pulled her into a choke hold, and then simply fell backwards out of the hole, and dragged her with him.

His eyes had been shimmering with a dark fury, and he had been blazing with a towering black battle aura. It had been much larger than the battle aura Ranma put out. Tofu had looked way worse than the day he had helped Ranma stare down Shampoo's Elder. He had looked scary, like Ranma had looked when he had protected her and Akane from the ambush — but much worse.

Ranma took a step towards the hole to go after Shona, then changed his mind and turned to check on her.

"You all right?" He asked worriedly.

"I'm ... all right, Ranma, better than you for sure." She said as she looked pointedly at his hand which was dripping blood on the floor.

He looked at it and shrugged. "Feh, they are going to have to do a lot better than that if they want to get by me." He said dismissively.

His strength was impressive. She was barely able to stand up. She was still exhausted from last night. She was emotionally and physically drained. The pain was still with her and she still ached, but the irrational anger that had been haunting her for the last few days was mostly gone now.

Now that she had finally been forced to deal with it and to start to deal with her grief from her mother's death, it was no longer darkness coiled inside her, waiting to strike. She still felt angry about Mom's death, but it wasn't the mind-warping intense and irrational anger that had taken control of her yesterday. She didn't feel like she was falling into the darkness anymore. As long as Ranma was with her ... she could endure. She _needed_ him right now.

She heard Kasumi yell something again downstairs, then Akane's voice shouted over Kasumi's, and Kasumi's voice grew quiet. It sounded like Akane was taking care of whatever Kasumi was yelling about. She looked at her door, then back to him. She could tell he wanted to go check on things, but felt bound to protect her first. So she made it easy on him. "Let's go check on Kasumi." She said as she started towards the door to the room.

He nodded but didn't walk to the door. He walked to her. She swallowed nervously as he walked right up to her, and slid his hands around her quickly, firmly, and with strong purpose. He slid his right hand around her back. It was resting on the bare skin of her back as her shirt rode up from his hug. His hand was warm, he was always warm. She still had her school dress on and the blouse that went with it, but she had unbuttoned the straps on the dress last night, so it was just acting as a skirt at the moment. His left arm was around her hips, with his hand resting on the flair of her left hip. She licked her lips in a combination of nervousness and longing.

She could tell a lot of the barriers between them had been destroyed last night. This was a different Ranma. This was a Ranma who wasn't so shy around her anymore. She could feel her pulse quickening and her breathing growing more shallow as her own desire for him rose up strongly in her. She wouldn't let things get physical at the moment, she wanted to go check on her sisters ... but if it wasn't for that ... she could have easily ignored whatever battle was going on outside, to be with him right here and now.

She looked into his eyes and saw her Ranma staring back at her, her friend, and her confidant. She also saw something deeper in his eyes now. She could see some kind of a connection between the two of them in his eyes now. But, that may have just been wishful thinking on her part. Regardless, she could see much more clearly now in his eyes what he still hadn't said aloud to her. She didn't know for certain what he was feeling, but she hoped what she was feeling from him was what she wanted it to be.

He slowly flexed the muscles in his arms and lifted her up off the ground to pull her into a firmer hug. She let out a little gasp of pleasure at the sensation and let herself relax into the embrace for a moment. He hadn't picked her up in a little while, and she craved that. His hand on her back had slid up even further and was resting on her bra strap. Her desire for him was off the charts now. She was starting to reconsider going to check on her sisters.

 _Akane can handle it, right?_ She thought as she tried to justify ignoring what was going on downstairs to stay with him and to finally be together with him as she wanted. She rested her head on his shoulder and tried to calm herself down as she breathed him in hungrily. His familiar scent triggered a memory from last night, and she smiled softly. She'd tell him about it later.

A moment later when he hadn't let her go, she lifted her head up off his shoulder and looked back into his eyes. He was still staring at her intently. There was hurt in his eyes.

"Are you all right, Ranma?" She whispered to him softly.

"Not really." He said in a strangely reserved voice.

Her heart quickened with dread. _Please oh please oh please don't end it now, not now._ She thought in a panic as she tried desperately to stay calm.

"What's ... what's wrong?" She whispered to him in a timid voice.

"You remember what you said to me the day after I had ta go and think about Ukyo leavin'?" He asked her softly.

She nodded at him slowly, confused.

"Well, it's my turn now. You can't ever do that to me again. Last night was ... scary." He said as he squeezed her tightly.

Relief flooded her as well as stronger emotions she was still sorting out, but they were all happy ones. She smiled shakily at him. "I ... I can't promise you it won't ever happen again, but I promise I'll do my best to prevent it from happening, if I can." She whispered to him happily.

He nodded quickly at that as he swallowed hard. If she didn't know better, she would swear he was covering up an urge to cry. She thought about teasing him about it, but before she could, he yanked her even closer to himself and buried his face into her neck and nuzzled her strongly. She smiled and nuzzled him right back. She could have sworn she felt him shudder for a moment, like he was fighting off crying, or experiencing very strong emotions.

 _Can it be ... Mister Man-Among-Men? ... For me?_ She thought absently as she reached behind him and stroked his hair gently.

"It's going to be all right, Ranma ... I promise." She whispered to him softly, with a mischievous smile on her lips.

She felt him turn his head so his lips would be clear of her as he whispered back to her in his own mischievous tone. "I thought we weren't supposed ta promise that." He said.

She smiled even more widely. "No, I said _you_ weren't supposed to make that promise to _me_. I never said I couldn't." She said happily.

"You don't play fair." He said quietly as he shifted his face back to nuzzling her.

"Mmmm, that's right, and don't you forget it, Saotome." She said happily as she wiggled in his arms to signal him that is was time to stop cuddling. The moment had passed, it was time to go check on her sisters.

He slowly responded to her signal. It wasn't an immediate response though. She could tell he was reluctant to let her go. She hoped that was because he felt for her like she felt for him, and it wasn't just a physical attraction on his part.

She slid slowly back down to the ground against him, and deliberately rubbed herself against him as sensuously as she could. It was a promise of future moments alone with him, and a reward for his own actions last night.

As soon as her feet were back on the ground, he slid around her quickly to get in front of her. He put a hand on her shoulder as he walked past her, and kept it there, while he kept his eyes forward. He opened the door and pulled on her gently to walk with him. She assumed he was keeping his hand on her so he would be able to yank her out of danger, while freeing him to his eyes up front where they were heading.

They made their way downstairs carefully. She could see signs of battle everywhere. Their front door was caved in. There were holes in the walls in several places in the entryway, and she even saw a few discarded Amazon weapons lying on the ground.

 _So much for the soldiers keeping the Amazons out_. She thought bitterly. Kasumi was saying something in the kitchen in a voice that wasn't quite hysterical, but certainly wasn't calm. She could hear her older sister from the bottom of the stairs. She could hear Akane's voice as well now. It sounded like Akane was speaking in a normal tone to Kasumi.

She and Ranma exchanged puzzled glances as they made their way towards the kitchen. Ranma poked his head around the door the kitchen, and froze. When he didn't move for several seconds, she poked him.

"C'mon, Ranma, move it." She hissed at him.

"C-c-c-cats." He stammered. She sighed and wiggled out of his grasp and stepped around him. She poked her own head into the kitchen, and laughed. The kitchen floor was swarming with cats. There had to be at least two dozen of them. Kasumi was standing near the center counter and holding something in her hands and alternating between crying and muttering darkly to herself. Akane was speaking urgently to Kasumi and trying to calm her down. She rolled her eyes and pushed on Ranma to move him back out into the hallway.

Once Ranma was out of the equation, she worked on the most pressing issue first and stepped quickly over to the back door and opened it. More than half of the cats bolted out the door as soon as it was open. The rest she was able to shoo out the door without too much trouble. When she was done she called to Ranma in the hall as she walked towards Kasumi.

"All clear, Ranma. The cats are gone!" She yelled as she stepped to the other side of Kasumi.

Her older sister was clutching a broken plate in her hands, and crying softly now. She tried to meet Kasumi's eyes, but Kasumi wouldn't lift her head to look at her.

She looked over at Akane who shrugged. "I don't know either. I was outside talking to Doctor Tofu when the attack hit. I heard Kasumi scream and ran to the kitchen. None of the Amazons made it into the kitchen though. When I got here Kasumi was just standing where she is now, holding that plate, and yelling. I think the cats broke it."

It made sense. The Amazons knew of Ranma's phobia. They might have dumped a bag of cats into the house to try to disable him while they attacked.

She re-focused on Kasumi and smiled nervously at her older sister as she grasped Kasumi's shoulder gently and shook her even more gently. Ranma made his way cautiously into the kitchen in the background as she tried to get Kasumi to snap out of it. Kasumi didn't respond, she just clutched the broken plate even more tightly and sniffled.

Ranma joined her then and stepped gently in front of Kasumi as she and Akane shifted to either side of him to let him take the center. Then he spoke kindly to Kasumi in a voice he didn't use very often, his caretaker voice. "It was special, wasn't it?" He asked.

Kasumi nodded.

"It was ... your mom's, right?" He asked.

Kasumi nodded again.

"I'm sorry, I know what it feels like to lose special things like that." He said carefully. She and Akane watched him but said nothing. He was making more progress with her than they had.

Kasumi nodded again, then slowly turned and set the plate down on the counter behind herself. A moment later Kasumi surprised everyone by bolting for Ranma and burying her head in his chest and crying loudly. Both she and Akane took quick steps back from the unexpected motion, then they exchanged nervous glances over Kasumi and Ranma.

 _I swear to God, if Kasumi is making a play for him, I am moving out and taking him with me_. She thought grumpily.

Ranma gently hugged Kasumi in return and held her older sister for several more moments. Kasumi's crying tapered off quickly. A few moments more and Kasumi was just standing there, hugging him. She heard Kasumi murmur something to him. It sounded like, _if you were just a little bit older_. But she couldn't be sure that was what Kasumi had said. Even so, she arched an eyebrow at the thought of it.

 _OK, that's enough_. She thought as she readied herself to step in and pull Kasumi off him. _I will be damned if I am going to fight to keep him from both Akane AND Kasumi_. She groused.

Kasumi moved before she did though, and stepped back from him with a sniffle. "S-sorry about that you guys. I'm still a little shaken up from yesterday. Wasn't prepared to lose one of Mother's heirlooms today too." Kasumi said in a shaky voice. Her older sister was still using her real voice. She wondered if Kasumi would ever go back to playing housewife for the family again, or if she was done with that now. She kind of hoped Kasumi had put it behind her. None of them needed a stand-in mother anymore.

"Akane, can you help Kasumi clean up in here?" She asked.

Her younger sister nodded. She smiled at Akane and grabbed for Ranma's hand and started to lead him out of the kitchen.

"It's good ..." Akane said to her back. She paused but didn't turn around. "It's good to see you up and feeling better, Nabiki." Akane said quietly.

She smiled at turned to face Akane. "Thank you. I feel different now. You and I still need to talk, and I need to buy you lunch to make up for being out of control yesterday. But we need to get these freaking Amazons dealt with first." She said with a wink. She was starting to feel like her old self again. She felt mostly the same as she had in the past, just not with the aching pit inside her where she had hid her grief in for so long. The pit was still there, but she was pretty sure it would heal if she gave it enough time.

 _And if I fill it back up with good things ... like being with Ranma_. She thought with determination as they made their way into the hallway. She intended to go back up to her room and change then head out with Ranma and settle the Amazon issue once and for all.

Ranma followed dutifully behind her. He would have to be in the room with her while she changed. The Amazons had demonstrated that Daddy's paranoia about having Ranma sleep with her and protect her hadn't been unfounded after all. As much as she had enjoyed the excuse to have him sleep together with her, there was a practical reason for him to be present as well. As they approached the stairs she debated with herself if she would let him watch as she changed. Her thoughts were interrupted when Tofu stepped through their ruined front door and into the entryway.

She froze. Seeing him brought everything back into focus from yesterday. Kasumi's words from yesterday flashed into her mind. _I hope you never actually understand, Nabiki. In a way, I envy you. You have been able to accomplish something that I think would make my life a lot easier. I wish I could do what you do. If you ever do understand though, the rest of it will be obvious to you_. Kasumi had said to her. She understood now. But not in the way Kasumi probably had meant.

Tofu smiled at her and walked towards her. "The attack is over. We pushed them back. They won't attack again for a little bit, we disabled quite a few of them." He said with his usual good-natured cheer.

She felt elements of her old icy core surface again inside herself, along with the feeling of the out-of-control anger from yesterday. She tried to ignore it and smiled back at him blankly. She tried to put her professional mask on, but she could feel that it was full of cracks now. She had been pretending for so long now that she didn't blame him. But she did, she _did_ blame him.

"Thanks." She said at the bare minimum of politeness as she turned to go up the stairs.

"Hey, Nabiki, do you know where Kasumi is? I want to check on her." He called after her. She froze with her foot on the first stair as the anger grew stronger in her.

"Why don't you just leave Kasumi alone?" She said quietly without turning around. She hadn't used a friendly tone. Ranma looked at her askance but didn't say anything.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Tofu asked from behind her.

She spun around and took her foot off the stairs. "You know DAMN WELL what I mean!" She yelled at him. She saw Akane poke her head out of the kitchen then slowly start to approach them. She didn't care.

"Nabiki, I..." Tofu stammered.

"I intend to get the Amazon issue dealt with for good today, and as soon as we do, I am going to make some calls and set up some dates for Kasumi. Just ... leave her alone." She said angrily as she squeezed the banister so hard her knuckles turned white.

"I ... okay, I understand..." Tofu said quietly with his eyes downcast.

"Nabiki, what's going on, why're you—" Kasumi said as she emerged from the kitchen as well. Kasumi eyed her stand-off with Tofu and quickened her pace.

Akane didn't say anything, she just stepped to the side of the stairs and watched. She was sure her little sister just wanted to know what was going on. Kasumi arrived and stopped to stand next to Tofu. For some reason, that made her angry. Kasumi could see that she was upset, anyone could, but nobody knew just how strongly she felt about Tofu. He'd made a promise, about the most serious of things, and he'd broken it.

"I ... I can't forgive you for what you did." She said, addressing Tofu. "You told me you could make her better, then you didn't. YOU PROMISED! But ... you didn't save her. That made it **so much worse**. I wasn't prepared, at all. If I had known she wasn't going to make it, I would have stayed by her until the end. I would have talked to her more. Instead, I played outside and didn't think much about it. I just thought she was sick. I didn't understand! I was seven years old for God's sake! You robbed me of my last chances to be with her!" She yelled with raw hatred in her voice, she was right on the verge of screaming at him.

Ranma put a hand on her arm. She didn't know if it was for support or to try to calm her down. She didn't care right now, so she just ignored it. "You had a duty, you had a **duty** both as a doctor and as an adult, to me and my sisters. You should have MADE US understand. Instead you lied to us. Daddy did too, but he can be excused, it was his wife dying after all. But you, you had no excuse." She shouted at Tofu as she fought back tears of anger.

"Come on, Nabiki, that's not fair he—" Kasumi jumped in.

 _"No, don't!_ She has every right. **SHE HAS EVERY RIGHT!** Let her speak." Tofu said sternly with tears in his eyes as he shuddered to suppress obviously very strong emotions. Then he turned back to her as he sank to his knees. "I did, I robbed you of that. I thought I was protecting you. I was ... wrong. I'm so sorry, Nabiki. I've been trying to atone for it ever since, but I know I'll never be able to." Tofu said as he slid his eyes away from her and looked down in shame.

She looked at him coldly for a moment, and could not find in herself any pity for him. "The only reason ... the **only** reason ... I can endure speaking to you ... is because of what you've done for our family since then. But ... I hate you, Tofu. I really do, I hate you. You took something precious from me that can't ever be given back. Just ... stay away from me." She said in an emotionless voice. Kasumi gasped in shock and probably disapproval. She ignored her.

Tofu nodded sadly. "I will."

She turned to leave as Ranma gathered her up in his arms and pulled her away from Tofu. Tofu called after her softly as she started up the stairs.

"I really did think I could save her. I wasn't trying to lie to you. I thought ... I thought I was better than I was." He said sadly.

"I don't care." She said after a long pause, without turning back to look at him. Ranma then tugged on her hand and led her away softly.

Once they reached the top of the stairs, Ranma paused and looked at her uncertainly. He had known she wanted to go up the stairs, but he clearly didn't know where she wanted to go now that they'd arrived.

She smiled gently at him and nodded her head towards her room. He smiled back and half pulled and half carried her to her door. He paused at her door and looked at her with an unspoken question.

She nodded at him absently. She was still thinking of the encounter with Tofu. She hadn't run into him prepared to say any of the words she'd said. Everything she had said had been spontaneous and in the moment. She couldn't bring herself to feel guilty about saying any of it, though. She was starting to realize that part of the reason the anger had hit her so hard yesterday was because she had not only forced herself to detach herself from her core self and her real emotions in order to survive the grief, but she had also had to convince herself that she didn't blame Tofu for Mom's death ... and she did.

As far as she was concerned, there was just no other way to look at it. Tofu had taken responsibility for Mom; he had been the doctor in charge of her, and he had failed to save her. Maybe ... maybe if Tofu hadn't been involved, maybe ... if they'd taken Mom to the hospital ... maybe she could have been saved? She didn't know. Mom hadn't wasted away, the illness had struck rather suddenly, and Mom had been gone not that long afterward. She had never looked into it. She didn't even know what kind of illness it had been. She resolved herself to look into it in more detail once the situation with the Amazons was done with.

 _My life has been on hold for long enough. It's time to get on with things._ She thought resolutely.

She only realized that she had just been standing there thinking when Ranma cleared his throat nervously behind her. She looked back at him and smiled. "I'm all right, Ranma. Just thinking." She said calmly. She felt much more at peace today than she had in a long time. The anger was still there, obviously, but the bond she had forged with Ranma last night had gone a long way towards bridging the gulf inside her to connect herself back to her true self.

Something that hadn't changed, at all, were her feelings for him. If anything, her feelings were much stronger now. She looked back at him and smiled as beautifully as she knew how as she turned in place and lunged for him.

He caught her easily and hugged her in return. "You sure you're okay?" He whispered to her.

She nuzzled his silky shirt with her face and breathed him in again as she murmured happily to herself for a moment before she answered him. She tilted her head so her cheek was pressed up against his chest and she could look into his eyes, and smiled at him as she squeezed him tightly. "I'm all right. I'm not totally _better_ yet, but I'm all right ... thanks to you." She whispered to him.

He nodded at her hesitantly. She could see him swallow nervously. She grinned inwardly and outwardly as she reached behind him and locked her bedroom door. She saw his eyes widen when the lock clicked. Clearly the confidence he had shown with her earlier wasn't an absolute state. He was obviously still working on how he handled being alone with her.

She kept her smile on her face as she stepped softly back from him. She looked around her room and was somewhat amazed that it was in the condition it was in. Aside from a little bit of debris from the shattered window on the wall by her bed, there was no other obvious damage to the room. Ranma had not only caught all of the pieces of airborne debris that had exploded into the room, but he'd also dumped them in a neat pile by the side of the bed as he'd rushed to defend her from Shona.

She looked back at him and smiled radiantly at him. She felt more strongly than ever now that he was for her. The doubts she had been struggling with yesterday were gone. She stepped gently, teasingly, towards her closet and turned her back to him.

"I have to change clothes for the day, Ranma." She said softly to him.

She could actually hear him gulp as she slid the door to her closet open. "Oh ... okay ... did you want me ta go out into the hall?" He asked her nervously.

She sighed theatrically. "Did an Amazon blow my window in this morning and attack me in my room, Ranma?" She asked him in a tone that was a mix of teasing and rebuke.

"Y-yeah..." He stammered.

"Then it isn't safe for you to leave me alone, now is it?" She asked him somewhat smugly.

"I...I guess not." He said even more nervously.

She looked back at him and winked. "Aren't you the one who told Akane and Riko that it was, 'no big deal for you to see a naked girl, because you'd seen yourself plenty of times?'" She teased him as she started to undo the zipper on her dress so she could slide it off.

"Y-yeah ... I guess..." He stammered even more nervously as she started to tug at the waist of her dress to slide it down.

She smiled to herself and decided to stop teasing him. "Well, then be a good boy and go guard the window while I change. I trust you, Ranma, I know you'd never hurt me." She said in a soft voice. She was teasing him, but she also kind of wanted him to want to watch her. Even if he didn't act on it, she wanted him to desire her.

He didn't say anything in response to her, so she just sighed and changed clothes. She thought about doing it slowly, and teasingly, like a strip-tease, in case he was watching. But the fact was she had stuff to take care of today, and she also didn't want to push him too hard, too fast.

 _First he needs to pick me, and THEN we can work on getting him fully over his issues with women_. She thought wryly about his shy little bunny butt.

When she was done changing, she turned around slowly, and sighed. She saw exactly what she had been expecting to see, but it still disappointed her. Ranma was standing across the room looking out the window, with his hands clasped behind his back, like a soldier. As far as she could tell, he hadn't watched.

"You ready?" He asked from the window. Apparently he could hear her well enough to know when she was done though.

She smirked at him. "You tell me, Ranma." He turned his head slowly and looked over his shoulder. She could see visible relief show on his face briefly to see her fully clothed. She thought she saw something else flash across his eyes as well, but she didn't know what it was, maybe desire? She didn't know, so she let it go. She had chosen to wear jeans and a red t-shirt with a black zip-up sweater that had a hood. The clothing was practical and comfortable. She felt she would need that today. He turned fully from the window and walked back over towards her. He didn't say a word about looking or not looking.

 _Of course, that doesn't mean he didn't watch the whole time and then look away quickly as he saw me finishing_. She thought happily. She knew it was childish to have teased him like she had, but she was feeling surging emotions of love and happiness when she was with him. Those emotions were canceling out the anger and grief that were still simmering inside her. And, given a choice, she would much rather feel happy and in love, than angry and sorrowful.

She reached for his hand and pulled him out of her room as soon as he grasped it. She didn't head downstairs though, she headed for his room. He looked at her even more nervously than he had in her room.

"What are we—" He started to ask, but she cut him off as she stepped into his room with him and slid the door shut.

"Which dresser do you keep your clothes in again?" She asked him with a small smile on her face. She was sure it was the one on the left ... Mom's old dresser.

He pointed to the left, and she grinned. She slid open several of the cedar-lined drawers and rummaged around in the back and bottom of the drawers. Eventually she found what she was looking for, in the drawer he kept his shirts in. She gathered them up in her hands and turned around and showed them to him triumphantly.

He looked at the small little bags in her hands, then back to her in confusion. She smiled at him and explained as she put them back in his drawer and closed it softly, reverently.

"I thought I remembered that smell." She said as she turned back to him and walked slowly over to him and slid into a soft hug with him. She buried her face into his shirt, and breathed him in softly. There it was, the scent of cedar wood mixed with a subtle, flowery scent.

"What smell?" He whispered to her.

"You, Ranma. You smell like her ... like my Mom." She whispered to him with a content smile on her face. It was a sign, she just knew it. It was a sign from Mom. It was like Mom's seal of approval on him.

"Oh yeah ... ya said that last night ... whadda ya mean?" He asked, with confusion evident in his voice.

She smiled into his chest as she tilted her face so her lips cleared the fabric of his shirt so he'd hear her clearly. "Those little bags in your drawer, Ranma. They're called sachets. Women often put them into their dresser drawers to add a scent to their clothing, and often to keep moths and other pests away too. Normally they don't put out a smell for very long ... but I have a feeling you crushed them or something when you moved in, didn't you?" She asked him happily.

He nodded. "Yeah, I found those bags in the dresser when Pop and I moved in. I tried scrunching them up to make 'em smaller so they'd take up less room when I first put my clothes in there. And ... every now and then I take one out and toss it around 'n stuff. Was ... I not supposed ta?" He asked nervously.

She smiled even more widely. "It's because you crushed them and shook them up that they are putting out a scent again, Ranma. That's why, to me, you smell the way you do." She said softly.

"Oh." Was all he said, confusion still evident in his voice.

She closed her eyes and whispered to him contentedly. "Mom moved that dresser in here just a few weeks before she got sick. She either left the sachets in there on purpose, or just never got around to taking them out. It was her old dresser." She left unsaid how special she found this connection to be, but she could tell he was picking up on it on his own.

He looked down into her eyes, and nodded as he smiled softly at her. "I see." Was all he said.

"I'm glad." She said as she released him, grabbed his hand, and led him out of the room, and down the stairs. She'd just wanted to explain that to him, even if it meant he would remove the sachets. Now that the connection was present in her own mind, it was special enough, even if it stopped.

She headed for the kitchen where she grabbed food off the counter where Kasumi had laid it out. Ranma did the same, and they ate quickly. Both of them ate a lot, as both of them knew that the day ahead of them wasn't going to have a lunch break in it.

When they were done, she tugged him by the hand and headed out into the hall back towards the front door. She was stopped a few paces down the hall by Riko's voice.

"And just where do you think _you're_ going, young lady?" Riko demanded.

She grinned and turned back to regard her oldest and best friend as she shifted her grip on Ranma from holding his hand to leaning against his shoulder nonchalantly.

"Ranma and I are going dancing, want to join us?" She asked impishly.

Ranma shot a quick look of surprise at her.

"Oh ho, I see m'lady has regained her sense of humor." Riko said with a twinkle in her eye.

"Who says I ever lost it? Ranma thinks I'm hilarious, don't you Ranma?" She asked him with a nudge to his ribs with her elbow.

He looked from Riko to her and back again before shrugging. "Um ... sure?" He said.

Riko laughed. "You're going to have to work on your act, Saotome." Riko said as she waggled her finger towards them and backed into the living room.

She nodded and followed Riko. She stepped into the room and smiled softly. Her friends were hard at work in their make-shift command center. They had two phones setup in the room, and they had laid out a map of their property on the wall, and it was heavily annotated with figures and fighting strength numbers. Chihiro was on the phone with someone, probably one of the mercenaries. Nanami was pouring through several layers of papers on the table, and Yui wasn't present.

Riko swept her hand wide like she was on stage and smiled warmly to them. "Welcome to headquarters. I'll have to insist on no photography while you are in here, please." Riko said with a smile as she walked over to one of the phones and plugged in a headset cord that was dangling from the headset resting on her neck.

"I see one of you got some proper equipment somehow?" She said with a smile.

"Yeah, the soldiers lent us some of their gear when Nami-chan asked them nicely. It's it cool? Not only am I finally commanding the control room, but I _finally_ have a headset, like a badass!" Riko said with a grin as she sat down dramatically and kicked her feet up on the table the phones were set up on.

"Um ... shouldn't you be taking this more seriously?" Ranma asked hesitantly. She knew he had to be worried about Akane and Kasumi's safety. She smiled softly at that.

Riko looked at him sternly for a moment, then smiled a small dangerous smile not unlike her own. "What do you want me to say, Ranma? You want me to say that we're surrounded and probably outnumbered? You want me to tell you that odds aren't great the soldiers and our backup people will be able to hold them off? You want me to call out that Kiki-chan's Dad, and your dad, and that Doctor fellow have been fighting and standing watch for days on end now, and they _have to_ be tired now? You want me to say things look grim?" Riko asked him softly, in a serious tone of voice.

All of the rest of the girls in the room had paused working, and were looking at Riko nervously. Riko rarely broke character. When she did, it was because she had a point to make.

Ranma swallowed hard and shook his head softly. "Well ... no, not when ya put it like that..." He said nervously.

Riko grinned at him and winked. "Good, because that's not how we roll in our little group, Saotome. You should know that by now. You should also know that Kiki-chan picked us for a reason. We know what we're doing. Just because we don't always behave like a sooper seeerious soldier, doesn't mean we can't get the job done." Riko said with a wink and a laugh as she elongated the words _super_ and _serious_ comically.

Ranma nodded respectfully and went back to watching everything with keen eyes, and not saying anything. As for herself, she smiled at Riko and nodded with approval at the setup she saw. It was no less than she'd expected. She had worked on operations large and small with all of her chief lieutenants, and they had used various forms of the setup being used now, to coordinate efforts. Her friends were doing a good job.

She opened her mouth to tell Riko that when Yui came bustling through the sliding doors to the porch and plopped a pad of paper on the table which Nanami quickly grabbed and started calling out numbers from. Riko smiled and walked over to the map on the wall and started updating numbers.

Yui came to stand in front of her and reached for her hands. Her friend looked deeply into her eyes and smiled at what she saw there. "Welcome back." Yui said in a soft, sweet voice. "I've missed you." Yui added almost in a whisper as her friend pulled her into a lingering hug. She knew exactly what Yui was talking about, she'd missed them too as she'd been coming apart the last few days.

"You feeling better now?" Riko asked from across the room.

"Y-yes, I think so, better than yesterday, for sure." She said cautiously.

"'Bout damn time!" Nanami said from the table.

"Agreed. I was starting to worry about you." Chihiro said as she hung up the phone and walked a different pad of numbers over to Nanami.

She felt her eyes tearing up a bit listening to her friends voicing their concern for her while still doing their jobs. She nodded shakily as Yui released her.

"Thanks..." She said hesitantly, she didn't know what to say to them. She had gathered her entire family together, to keep them safe. But now that they were there, she found that she was drawing more strength from them, than they were from her.

She found herself sniffling as she choked back tears of gratitude that surged up in her emotions. Ranma put a comforting hand on her shoulder from behind her. He was always like that lately, ready to step forward and support her. It made her feel the emotions even more strongly.

Riko looked at her across the room and frowned. "Now now, none of that. It simply won't do to have the leader of this vast enterprise showing any weakness." Riko said with a wink. She nodded at Riko and tried to look more professional.

"That is, of course, unless the leader of this vast enterprise needs the support of her friends, who love her." Riko added as she walked across the floor and grasped her hands warmly.

She nodded her head jerkily. She didn't trust her voice at the moment not to cry. She felt Ranma rub her shoulder with the thumb of his hand that was still on her.

"I'm glad Ranma was able to help you sort stuff out, Nabi-chan. I was getting ready to step in and try myself." Yui said warmly.

"Me too." Chihiro said as she walked towards them.

"Me too." Nanami added warmly as she stepped over to join them.

"Not me. I knew my little Kiki-chan was made of strong stuff. Not that I wouldn't have been willing to, you understand." Riko said with a smile.

She nodded jerkily again as she drew in shuddering breaths and tried to fight back the tears. She failed and started to let them out as her friends encircled her and pulled her into a group hug.

She closed her eyes and allowed herself to accept the love her friends were giving her. She knew she was going to need that love today. Several long moments later she opened her eyes and looked for Ranma. She found him looking at them with curiosity on his face from a seated position on the floor.

She smiled at him, and he returned it warmly as he spoke. "I'm glad you're feelin' better too." He said.

"How could I not, with friends like these?" She asked as her friends hugged her even more tightly.

"No kidding. I don't think I have ever seen friends better than yours." He said somewhat enviously.

Chihiro perked her head up and looked at Ranma thoughtfully for a moment, then turned and spoke to the rest of the girls. "You don't know the half of it, Saotome. What do you think, girls, is he worthy of the truth now?" Yui nodded, and Nanami smiled. Only Riko looked away from Chihiro and didn't show a positive response.

Chihiro's gaze lingered on Riko for a moment as Nanami reached over and wrapped Riko up in a half-hug with one arm. Chihiro smiled and turned back to Ranma. "You're one of us now, and you've fought for us, so I'll tell you my story. But this doesn't leave this room, understand?" She said firmly to Ranma who nodded earnestly.

Chihiro smiled and resumed speaking after a moment. "Nabiki took care of the debt my mother owed to some nasty loan sharks. We needed help bad. Mom took out the loan because Dad was out of work, and we were having trouble making ends meet. She didn't know they were loan sharks. By the time we found out, we owed them way more than we could repay. I went to Nabiki and asked for help. I was willing to do anything to get help for my family." Chihiro said softly as she turned to look back over at Nabiki and smiled softly.

Nabiki responded by reaching her hand out for Chihiro who took it and held it firmly as she continued telling her story. "Nabiki told me not to worry about it. Said she'd take care of it. She told me she knew the group we were in trouble with, and she had been meaning to deal with them for a while anyway. She ... she ran them out of business and got their leaders arrested because they'd threated my family and other families. It was over in less than a day. When I went back and asked what I owed her for her help, she told me not to worry about it. Told me to just consider it a favor between friends, and to remember it if she ever needed help. I had been prepared to owe more than I could ever repay, I had been prepared to be humiliated or worked like a dog. And I would have been happy to have done it. Nabiki had kept her promise and saved my family. But she didn't ask me for anything, just the favor. I'd ... I'd do _anything_ for her!"

Nanami smiled and spoke up next. "Nabiki helped me too. My parents run a small shop in town over by the west train station. It's in a pretty good foot traffic location, and the property is pretty valuable. My family has owned it for a long time now though, so we get to keep our little shop there, and we don't pay anyone any rent, we just pay the city taxes on the land. Needless to say, we have had several offers from people to buy out the shop and the land. One time, one of the guys went too far. He took it personally when Mom told him no. Dad was out of town like he is about half of the time, taking care of the business, so it was just my Mom running the shop, and handling the business here in town. Anyway, the guy started yelling at Mom whenever he came by, and kept trying to intimidate her into selling. When Mom wouldn't budge, he started to do things like hire people to stand in front of our shop to intimidate customers away. And things started getting mysteriously broken around the shop, including windows and our signs.

"I could tell Mom was trying to be strong, but that she was scared. I even heard her on the phone with my Dad once, asking him when he would be home, and asking him to hurry. I was scared. I had heard around town that Nabiki could solve problems that nobody else could solve. I could have gone to the police, but I knew they wouldn't do anything — at least not fast enough for it to matter. So, I went to Nabiki. She told me not to worry, said she handled stuff like that all the time. She gave me some tea, and made some calls, asked me for the name of the shop, and address, and the name of the guy causing problems. Once she was done making the calls we chatted for a while, and then she told me I could go home and it should be taken care of. We had only spent about an hour talking.

"When I got to our shop, Mom was in tears. She told me some scary looking guys dressed all in black suits had shown up at the shop, and she'd feared the worst. But they hadn't done anything. Instead, they just stood next to their car and chatted with themselves and hung around. But, as soon as the guy causing problems showed up, they surrounded him, and pulled him into their car. Mom told me the man had called her a little while later, sounding out of breath, and had apologized, and had told her he was leaving town and he no longer wanted our property. When I went back to Nabiki to thank her, she told me she had taken care of the guy and had all of his business permits and licenses revoked in all of Tokyo's Wards. She absolutely destroyed him. Last I heard he left Japan looking for work in Thailand. Nabiki never charged me anything for the help, she just told me to consider it a favor between friends. I'd do anything for her too." Nanami said in a shaky voice.

Nabiki looked around at her friends in wonder as they told Ranma some of their most intimate and personal secrets.

Not to be outdone, Yui spoke up next. "Nabiki ... helped my family also. There was a man who had the hots for my Mom when I was younger. My parents divorced when I was little. Mom dated sometimes, but she didn't like that guy. But ... he wouldn't take no for an answer. He kept getting more and more insistent, it was scary. He started showing up at the house at random times, sometimes when I was home alone. I never answered the door for him, but he was starting to get creepy. So, Mom eventually told him to go away and stop bothering her. That's when the guy lost it. He put a bunch of lies into the city records where he worked, then I guess he sent some tips to the District Attorney's office, or the Chief of Police, or something. They were talking about arresting her for corruption or something like that. I don't remember all of the details that well, it was many years ago. But, what I will never forget, was how I felt when I went to my friend Nabiki in tears and told her about it. I was desperate to find someone who could help keep my mom out of jail. I had heard she could fix stuff, but I had never paid much attention to it. Nabiki listened to me and she didn't laugh at me, or enjoy my misfortune like lots of people do when someone's family falls on hard times.

"Instead, Nabiki got angry. She told me to come with her, and we went downtown to some crazy-huge office building. She walked in like she owned the place, and took me straight to the office of a nice older man who worked there. She told me to tell him what was going on. I did, and he smiled, and said he would take care of it. Then he gave us cookies and cakes, and chatted with Nabiki a bit while I fought to keep myself from crying and tried to act mature like Nabiki did. When we left, the man again told us not to worry, and that he'd take care of it, and that's just what he did. Later that day when I went home, Mom was sitting at the table having tea with that same older man. She told me when I got home that the creepy guy wouldn't be bothering us ever again." Yui said in a small voice.

Her friend locked her eyes on Ranma and continued her story in a slightly shakier voice. "I found out later that the older man Nabiki took me to go see, was the Senior Partner in the largest law firm in Japan. He took the case pro bono for Nabiki's sake, and brought in private investigators to clear my Mom. The creep's lies fell apart as soon as someone who knew what they were doing starting poking around and looking at them. I wish I could have seen his face. Because, holy crap, it must have been awesome. They eviscerated that guy. Not only did the law firm get the charges dropped against my mom, but they found the evidence that the creep had planted the lies in the records. They threw the book at him. He'll be in prison until he dies. Nabiki saved my Mom, I'd do absolutely _anything_ for her." Yui said in a shaking voice as she reached over and grabbed Nabiki's hand warmly. Nabiki smiled at her softly.

Ranma turned to look at Riko, who smiled at him as she sniffled. Hearing the rest of them tell their tales was obviously tugging at Riko's heart strings. Riko didn't say anything for a while. She closed her eyes and pulled in slow, deep breaths as she shook her head back and forth slowly. When Riko spoke, it was in a trembling voice. "Nobody else besides Nabiki and her dad know this story. I haven't ever told it, to anyone. Not because I'm ashamed ... but because it's hard for me to even really wrap my mind around what Nabiki did for me. I've never even told Nanami or Yui or Chihiro. There are debts that can be repaid, and there are debts that can _barely_ be repaid, and then there is what Nabiki did for me ... I still, to this day, can't believe she did it." Riko said in a voice that was increasingly emotional.

Riko opened her eyes then and looked at Nabiki, and only Nabiki as she spoke. "N-Nabiki put up the money to save my Mom. We couldn't afford the special treatment she needed in the hospital, it was experimental, but it worked. I-It just wasn't a covered treatment. Nabiki was just a kid at the time, I didn't even know her that well, but she was my friend. She'd stayed my friend, even after all of the bad things that had happened to her family." Riko said softly as she closed her eyes again and took anther deep breath.

"Nabiki was my friend in school. S-she found out something was wrong with me, so she came to see me in the hospital. She asked what was wrong, and I told her. Nabiki said, without hesitation, that she had money, and she could make it r-right ... and that's what she did. She went to her dad that afternoon and made him let her spend t-the m-money on m-my m-m-mom's tt-reat-mm-ent." Riko said as tears leaked down her cheeks and her voice fell apart. 

The girls encircled Riko and hugged her until she calmed down. A moment later Riko nodded and pulled in a shuddering breath before she spoke again. "My Dad abandoned me before I was even born. I don't have any other family. Just my Mom. I would have been an orphan if Nabiki hadn't saved her. And if that wasn't enough, once Mom got better, Nabiki made sure we weren't homeless. She had us stay here until she got her Dad to find Mom a job... **NABIKI SAVED MY LIFE! I'D DIE FOR HER!** " Riko shouted in a quaking voice as fresh tears poured down her cheeks.

"Me too." Nanami said fiercely.

"Me too." Yui chimed in with her own tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Me too." Chihiro said as she looked down at the ground to hide her own crying.

Ranma looked over at her clearly overwhelmed and with a silent question on his lips. She could see he was swallowing hard to try to stop himself from losing control. She smiled and answered his unspoken question as she continued to hug her best friends. "I have a soft spot for people who's mothers are in trouble." She said with a shaky but proud smile.

"No kidding." He said with a small smile as he leaned back and rested his hands on the ground behind him, almost like he was bracing himself from the enormity of what he had just heard.

She stayed in her friends' arms for a few more wonderful moments as they all fought to bring themselves back under control. Riko's story had affected everyone. That was no surprise, as aside from herself, it was the first time any of them had heard it. They all knew each other's stories of course, so they all suspected Riko's was similar, but hearing the details had an impact that suspicions just couldn't match. As her friends slowly let her go, she sighed and then pulled in a deep breath and tried to shift back to business. "So what happened this morning? How did the Amazons get past the soldiers?" She asked with some annoyance in her voice. She would have hoped that several hundred soldiers would have been enough, but apparently they hadn't been.

"Um ... we're not sure of that ourselves. We still need to talk to some of our people, and we've been trying to talk to that captain Maki guy, but he's being squirrely, and says he'll only talk to you about that stuff. Best we can tell, they just hit all four sides with a not small amount of people, and they managed to overload the soldiers enough to get some of their people through." Yui said in a business-like tone matching Nabiki's.

"Anyone get killed?" Nabiki asked in a cold voice. She was hoping some of the Amazons had bought it, but she doubted it. She hadn't heard any gunfire.

"We're not sure about that either, but we don't think so. No fatalities among the soldiers, although about ten percent of them were wounded enough that they are out of action now. And no bodies left behind from the Amazons, unfortunately." Yui said in a cold voice of her own which raised Ranma's eyebrows.

She smiled inwardly at that. Ranma wasn't used to this side of Yui. At school Yui preferred to play the voice of reason, while Riko like to play an agent of chaos. All of her chief lieutenants could be utterly ruthless when the situation called for it though. And Amazons trying to kill them certainly counted.

"I'll talk to captain Maki and order him to release information to you four." She said as she picked up a brown leather backpack Nanami handed her with a wink, and got ready to leave.

"Our people did well though. There would have been more damage if it hadn't been for them backing up the soldiers." Chihiro said with approval.

She nodded. There had been a reason she had called in the people she had, and she had clearly been right. "Tell them to keep doing what they do best." She said with approval in her voice.

"Nabiki ... wait." Riko said as she turned to leave and beckoned Ranma to follow her.

She turned back and looked at Riko quizzically. "Yeah?" She asked her oldest friend. She needed to get on with it with Ranma, but she was willing to give her friend a minute or two more.

"I'm coming with you, it isn't safe out there." Riko said resolutely.

She smiled but shook her head. "I need you here, where it's safe. Ranma will protect me. I need you here watching our people, and keeping an eye on these soldiers. They are the first line of defense keeping my family safe. If I win this war but lose any of you, then the war won't have been worth fighting." She said just as fiercely.

Riko sprinted over to her, and hugged her desperately. She could feel tears leaking out of her friend's eyes on to her shoulder. "You come back to me, you hear? I need you." Riko whispered to her in a shaking voice.

"Same." She whispered back to her friend as she hugged her back just as strongly. She lingered in her friend's arms for a few more self-indulgent moments, then she sighed and slowly stepped back away from Riko.

Her friend's lower lip was quivering.

"If I lose you ..." Riko said in a catching voice.

"Same." She said to Riko with a wink. "Now get back to work and start cracking the whip on everyone!" She said with a smile as she beckoned to Ranma who nodded and jogged to her side.

Riko saluted her, and held it, still with her lower lips quivering. She held Riko's gaze as well, and they both did their best to reassure each other as well as silently say goodbye to each other, should the worst happen.

She started to slowly back out of the room as she held Riko's gaze.

Yui waved cheerfully at her. "Go get 'em, boss!" Yui called out as she backed away with Ranma.

"Keep your head down!" Nanami said in a more serious tone.

"Smack 'em once for me!" Chihiro added with a smile and a wave.

Riko didn't say anything more. Her oldest and best friend just continued to salute her and visibly fight back tears while she backed away into the hall with Ranma. As soon as they turned the corner and lost sight of them, she sighed and turned around and started to walk normally next to him.

He looked over at her and opened his mouth to say something, but closed it. Instead he reached his hand out to her. She took it with a small smile and walked hand in hand with him through their shattered front door.

Several soldiers were walking around in the courtyard, and they were still up on the walls as well. There was wood smoke in the air. She smelled it strongly as soon as she stepped outside. It wasn't a cheery wood smoke smell from a camp fire or a festival hearth though. Parts of their house had caught fire, and a large part of the walls around their lands were caved in and charred in various locations. The remaining, unwounded, soldiers she had summoned were alternating dealing with their wounded, and manning the walls. Every single one of them saluted her sharply as she walked past them with Ranma. They ignored Ranma. He looked over at her with wide eyes filled with what she guessed was either admiration, respect, or a bit of fear. _It's probably a mixture._ She thought to herself.

Captain Maki had kept his word. Their property had been damaged. But his soldiers had stood their ground, and her family was safe. Only a handful of Amazons had made it past the walls, and her backup plan for the soldiers had worked well. It didn't sound like any of the Amazons had been killed. And from what she could see, none of the soldiers had been killed either. 

It seemed that the Amazons were smart enough to try to avoid fatalities in the Self Defense Force ranks. She was sure it was more out of a desire to avoid an international incident than any sense of altruism. She had a feeling their heaviest hitters hadn't tried yet, though. She would ask for descriptions of the Amazons from captain Maki, but she was willing to bet none of the descriptions matched Shampoo, Mousse or the old woman. If any of them had been part of the attack, the outcome would have been much worse. Especially if Shampoo's Great Grandmother had joined the attack.

A pair of soldiers stopped in front of her as she and Ranma walked towards the gate. They smiled at her and the taller of the two spoke up hesitantly. "How is ... how is your sister, ma'am?" He asked.

"My sister? Oh, she's fine. She was just upset because something special got broken. That's why she was yelling." She said as she started to walk again. But the soldier shook his head and frowned.

"No, um ... not her. The ... the other one. The younger one. With short hair?" He said carefully.

"Akane? What about her?" She asked, confused.

"She saved Watanabe, Nakamura and Satō, ma'am. She pulled those crazy Chinese soldiers off them, and fought them off long enough for reinforcements to get to 'em and push 'em back, ma'am. She's ... she's a god damned hero, ma'am." The soldier said in a firm voice.

She knew her jaw was figuratively on the floor, and her reaction had to be showing on her face. Akane hadn't said _anything_ about fighting the Amazons. Akane had only mentioned coming to help Kasumi. She sighed and looked back at the house. _It figures, she probably didn't want us to worry_. She thought as she searched in vain for Akane.

She turned back to the soldiers and smiled. "Don't worry, she's fine. I saw her just a few minutes ago, and she's in perfect health." She said with as much positive cheer as she could muster. These men were fighting to protect her family after all, they deserved all the morale boosts they could get. If they wanted to idolize Akane for helping them fight, she was more than willing to let them do that.

"That's good. Thank you, ma'am. Tell her the guys in Raven Squad want to buy her and your family dinner when this is all over." The soldier said with a nervous smile as he re-set the strap of his rifle on his shoulder and started to walk again next to his companion, who was nodding earnestly.

She smiled back at them and nodded. "I'll tell her. Thanks, you guys. You're doing a great job, keep it up!" She said with an encouraging wave.

As soon as they were out of earshot Ranma leaned in and whispered to her. "Laying it on a little thick, aren't you?" He asked.

"Which would you rather have protecting the family, Ranma? Happy, inspired soldiers, or beaten-down, and afraid soldiers?" She whispered back to him out of the side of her mouth while she continued to smile and wave at the soldiers as they walked away.

"Okay, fair point." Ranma replied with a smile. "Should we get goin'?" He said as he indicated the main gate.

She nodded. "Yes, let's. You lead and—"

"Hold on there, young lady!" Daddy's voice sounded from behind her.

She closed her eyes briefly in annoyance. It never ended well when he called her that. _It's always something, isn't it?_ She thought as she turned and raised an eyebrow at Daddy as he walked swiftly over to them. His face was set in stern lines, and his hands were clenched into fists so hard that his knuckles were turning white.

She opened her mouth to say more, but had to turn to follow him as he stepped past her and took up a position in front of the gate, barring access to it. She sighed as Ranma shot a confused look at her.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Daddy demanded with his hands now firmly crossed over his chest.

She closed her eyes again briefly and worked to steady herself. She no longer had the burning ball of rage inside her, but the anger she was still feeling about Mom's death was still there, simmering in the background. It didn't take much for her to tap into those feelings at the moment. She did her best to do some calming exercises in her mind before she responded. Just a day earlier, those same exercises hadn't worked. But now she could feel them working, at least a bit. The flashpoint of anger inside her dropped back from where it had been yesterday. She was able to seize her rationale and logic and bring it to the front of her mind as she spoke.

"I ... am going with Ranma, Daddy." She said as calmly as she could. She knew he would be able to pick up a hint of annoyance in her voice, but she couldn't help that.

"Absolutely not, unacceptable. It's too dangerous, Nabiki."

"Daddy, I—"

"NO, Nabiki! No! I wouldn't even let Akane go outside these walls right now, and she has been training the longest in the Art." Daddy said firmly.

"Mister, Tendo, it's—" Ranma started to say.

"Stay out of this, Ranma. This is a family matter." Daddy cut across Ranma roughly. She had to close her eyes again to calm herself down. Daddy was getting dangerously close to triggering her anger.

When she spoke again, it was in the same dark, low and dangerous voice she had used in Akane's room yesterday. "Ranma _is_ family, Daddy!"

"Now, Nabiki, you know I—" Daddy started to reply.

It was her turn to cut him off though. "NO! You can't have it both ways! The engagement was your idea and Mom's! You wanted our families joined. You wanted one of us to marry Ranma, right?!" She shouted. She could see some of the soldiers were starting to peek over at the commotion now. She didn't care.

"Yes, but—"

"No, Daddy! I've accepted the engagement to Ranma. If we go through with it, he'll be my husband. You know damn well what that means. I know because I saw you do it with ... with M-Mom." She said in a voice shaking with emotion. The bonds of filial loyalty by necessity had to be broken and reforged into different bonds when one's heart was pledged to another. There could be no competition between one's loyalty to one's spouse, and _anyone_ else. One's spouse _had to_ come first. That included Daddy.

"Nabiki ... I can't, it's—" Daddy said in a much quieter voice as he let his hands droop to his sides.

She shook her head and interrupted him again. "The only way you are going to stop me from leaving with him, is if you fight me. And it will be a _fight_ , Daddy. I know you'll win, but _I will make you hurt me to win_. You will _actually_ have to fight me to stop me from going. I **will not** allow him to go and fight _alone_ for **our sake!** I won't! That is the _least_ I can do for him. I can go with him, I can help him as much as I can, and I can support him. I can't fight like he can, _but so help me God_ , I will do _everything else_ in my power to help him succeed. If he is going to fight for this family, I am going with him. You can stop me, but _I'll make you pay dearly to do it_. Are you ready to hurt me to get your way?" She asked as she clenched her hands into fists tightly. Ranma was looking at her with his mouth hanging open.

She knew that consternation in the Tendo family made him nervous. She also knew that he wanted very much to join their family for real, and that he considered their family to be a _real_ family, unlike the mess of a relationship he had with his Dad. It probably disturbed him to see the cracks starting to show in the Tendo line. But she couldn't help that right now. She wasn't going to back down, nod demurely and obey Daddy's wishes like a good little girl and bride-to-be, just because the head of the household had given her an order.

Daddy stared at her for a moment with glassy eyes. Then he took a rough step towards her. She flinched and started to bring her hands up into a fighting stance. He froze as he looked at her in shock, then he looked down at the ground slowly. She could see the fight go out of him then. His body language slumped in defeat, and he nodded sadly. A moment later he stepped to the side of the gate, and unblocked it. She smiled shakily at that.

"Very well ... very well, Nabiki. Go with him, support him. Do ... what your mother would have done." Daddy said to her in a bitter voice. "You're so much like her in so many ways, sometimes it's unreal." He said defeatedly while he stepped further from the gate.

She nodded and fought back the tears that wanted to come. She was done crying for the moment. Today was a day to be strong. She looked over at Ranma and nodded firmly to him as she reached out her hand for his.

He nodded back nervously as he took her hand. They took a step towards the gate then froze as Daddy spoke up again.

"Saotome?" Daddy said in a clear, heavy voice.

"Yeah?" Ranma said as he paused and looked back while he held her hand.

"Bring my daughter home safely, or don't return." Daddy said in a deathly serious tone of voice.

Ranma turned and met Daddy's eyes silently for a few moments, then nodded seriously. "I promise. If she's hurt ... I won't be going anywhere, ever again, anyways." He said in the same serious tone of voice he had used with her last night.

Daddy locked eyes with him for another few moments, then nodded curtly and walked briskly away from them. He headed for the far wall and joined the soldiers there. She noted that with some curiosity. Previously the soldiers hadn't wanted the Martial Artists standing in their ranks with them. _I wonder what changed?_ She thought idly.

She looked over at Ranma and smiled to herself.

 _I'll just know._ She thought as she repeated what was quickly becoming her mantra to herself.

"Ready?" She asked him softly.

"Yeah, let's—"

"Ranma, wait!" Akane's voice sounded behind them.

She closed her eyes again and counted backwards from ten to one as she worked to control her irritation. It was starting to seem like there was a line formed up somewhere with people waiting to stop them from walking out of the gate as soon as they moved towards it. She slowly turned around and saw her little sister watching them from the shattered doorway to the house.

Akane glanced at her, then slid her gaze over to Ranma. As her little sister walked slowly over to them, she did her best to control her emotions. She was happy that she actually could control them again. It hadn't been pleasant losing control like she had the last few days.

Akane arrived and stood in front of Ranma with her hands clasped tightly in front of herself. Her little sister was visibly nervous. She could see Akane's legs were shaking badly. She had a bad feeling about this.

"R-Ranma ... can I talk to you before you go?" Akane asked in an urgent tone.

"Can it wait? We need ta go find the old ghoul and end this." Ranma said in a strained voice. She could tell he was itching to get out there and stop the attacks on his family.

"P-Please ... Ranma? Please? Just a few minutes? If we don't talk now then..." Akane trailed off nervously with her eyes firmly on the ground.

Ranma looked over at her, and she sighed and nodded. She had a feeling she knew what Akane was up to. She didn't really want to give Akane the chance to try, but what choice did she have? _If I shut her out, it will look like I am trying to make his decision for him_. She thought sadly as Ranma nodded hesitantly and started walking away with Akane after her younger sister beckoned him to follow her.

She watched them go with a heavy heart. She had an unshakable bond with him now. He was a part of her, but that didn't mean he was going to choose her to be his wife. It was still possible for Akane to sway him. She could feel him slipping away from her with every step he took next to Akane.

She no longer felt like she had yesterday. Yes, his world was violent. Yes, there would always be another challenger out there for him. And he would never be happy just staying in their peaceful town, teaching basic Martial Arts to normal people for the rest of his life. But she wanted him to choose her more than anything, anyway.

 _But if he doesn't choose me, I'll just have to find a way to survive that. He'll need to fight with people like Ryoga and Shampoo's Grandmother. He'll need to constantly challenge himself to get better. He may not feel like he can do that if he chooses me. I'm not going to tie him down and clip his wings. I want him to be free to be who he needs to be. After what he did for me last night, that's one of the smallest favors I can think of to do for him_. She thought sadly as he rounded the corner of their house while he talked with Akane.

She felt like crying but she held it back. It wouldn't be a sad thing if Ranma chose Akane. Her younger sister loved him. She knew that. If Akane was in the process of finally being able to confess her love to him, she was happy for her. She didn't want to lose Ranma, but if she lost him to Akane, she could accept that. She would find a way to survive and move on from that. It couldn't be worse than losing Mom, right?

As Ranma disappeared from her view, she hugged herself tightly, and did her best to hold herself together as she waited for them to return. The soldiers that could see her respectfully turned their gazes away from her. She had no further cards to play. Like she'd told him yesterday, she had nothing left to offer him other than what he'd already seen — except maybe her body. But, she wasn't vain enough to think her modest physique was going to be the deciding factor in his decision, nor did she want it to be. Still, she couldn't stop herself from being at least a little selfish.

 _If you're going to pick Akane, please do it quickly. Please don't let me think I still have a chance if you've made up your mind_. She thought sadly as she stared at the clouds in the sky and waited for her Ranma to come back to her, as the smoke from her still charring house swirled around her and filled her nose with reminders of the chaos and destruction that was still waiting to be dealt with right outside their walls.


	57. It's Like Magic

[soundtrack for this: _Umbrella_ , by **Marié Digby** ]

Nabiki felt ... empty. It wasn't just that she had been separated from Ranma. It wasn't just that Ranma was off alone with Akane; and it wasn't just because of the apologetic look Akane had given her before disappearing around the corner of the house with him. It was all of that together with the knowledge that she _absolutely knew_ that Ranma had romantic feelings for Akane. That knowledge was coupled with the fact that as for her own relationship with him went, he hadn't made her any long term promises so far. She knew how she felt, and she knew how Akane felt. But she didn't know, for certain, how Ranma felt ... at least, not as far as his long term intentions were anyway.

She stood awkwardly in front of her still smoldering house and hugged herself tightly. She did her best to control her breathing as she waited, but she still found her heart rate and breathing rates increasing as her anxiousness grew. She had a plan for how to handle the Amazons today, which she was ready to share with Ranma as soon as he returned. But, instead of running through that plan and making sure it was airtight, her mind was busy teasing her with images of Ranma and Akane alone together.

Akane had every right to do whatever she might decide to do in private with Ranma, just like she did. She certainly hadn't been shy about exercising her own rights when she had been alone with him. But knowing that didn't make the idea of Akane together with him any easier for her to imagine.

 _She's taking him back. There's nothing you can do, it's over._ Her insecurities taunted her.

 _Shut up_. She growled to herself.

 _You didn't fight hard enough. It wasn't enough, he's going back to her_. Her doubts told her.

 _I did everything I could_. She protested.

 _You're not good enough, you're not attractive enough_. Her self-image chimed in.

 _I am who I am. He has to accept me for who I am, or it would never work anyway_. She fought back.

 _Akane has the stronger claim on him, she has the history with him; she's the one who put in the time with him, she's the one who's fought with him. She's the one he loved first_. Her fears reminded her.

She had no comeback for that. It was true. She was pretty sure that if Akane really wanted him back, her little sister could get him back.

 _Mom didn't know everything_. She thought sadly. _There's more to it than being sure. There's more to it than fighting for them when you're sure. They have to ... return the feelings, or none of it will make any difference_. She concluded as she swiveled her head slowly side to side and watched both sides of the house for them to reappear. She didn't dare go looking for them. She couldn't handle stumbling on them re-kindling their relationship hot and heavy in each other's arms.

She rolled her eyes at herself. _Get a grip, girl. You can barely get him to hold you in a locked room while giving him a green light even he couldn't possibly misunderstand. There's **no way** he's going to do much with Akane while standing outside in full view of everyone. And Akane isn't exactly the type to throw herself at a guy while stripping out of her clothes and shouting for him to take her right then and there_. She smiled at herself. The ridiculousness of the thought was amusing to entertain, even with the painful subject matter.

_Maybe if I— Stop. Just stop. It's over. Either Akane is going to get him back right now, or she isn't. There isn't anything more I can do. I'll know as soon as they come back if Akane has taken him back, I'll be able to see it in—_

She interrupted her own thoughts as she caught movement out of the corner of her right eye. She turned her head to fully look in that direction, and held her breath as Akane came into view. Akane's right hand was trailing behind her. A moment later the reason why became apparent as Ranma came into view. He was holding Akane's hand and looking nervous.

 _Oh no, she did it she..._ She thought in despair as they came closer. She watched them carefully as her heart sank in her chest. She was grateful that the soul-chilling coldness wasn't returning. But the sudden emptiness she felt as she watched them together, holding hands, was almost as bad. She had a feeling when she could see in his eyes his rejection of her, that how she felt would get worse.

 _Something happened between them. Something's changed. Akane must have..._ Her thoughts trailed off sadly as she did her best to keep her emotions off her face. If Akane had managed to get him back, she would be happy for her. Well ... she would _act_ like she was happy for her. She didn't want Akane to suffer, and she wanted Ranma to be happy.

 _I can be brave and get through today. I'll make sure they're okay, and then I'll ... why is Akane stopping?_ She asked herself as she watched them intensely while she tried to force herself to control her breathing.

Akane slowed to a stop. Ranma took a moment to catch on to Akane's change in momentum and he ended up being a step in front of Akane before he stopped too. He looked back at Akane and she lost sight of his face. She could see Akane's face though. Akane looked ... thoughtful? She couldn't read Akane very well at the distance her sister was at.

Akane said something to him she couldn't hear, then made a shooing motion with her hands and smiled a small smile. Nabiki's breath froze and her heart skipped a beat.

 _It can't ... be ... can it?_ She thought in confusion as Ranma nodded and walked over to her. She shifted her gaze to him, and dared to allow herself to hope. _Can it be ... did Akane fail?_ She asked herself as he approached her with an eager smile on his face. She unconsciously adjusted her stance so she could hug him easily. His smile got a little larger as he approached her. She had to force herself not to leap into his arms, bury her face in his neck, and cry and ask him not to leave her.

He stepped up to her with the same strong purpose and the same casual familiarity with her that he had shown earlier in her room after he'd protected her from Shona's attack. She pressed in to hug him as he slipped his arms around her and pulled her in warmly. He leaned his head in and she could hear him breath her scent in.

 _Can it be?_ She asked herself again as she squeezed him as strongly as she could. _What's going on?_ She asked herself as she looked up from Ranma to find Akane.

She found her little sister walking slowly towards them with mixed emotions on her face. Akane looked both happy, and pensive. Her little sister was watching them carefully. Akane's eyes darted over to Ranma, and she could see the longing in Akane's eyes. Clearly her little sister had feelings for him. _But ... she sent him back to me ... what does that—_

"Can we talk real quick?" Akane interrupted her thoughts with a small smile. She could tell Akane was putting on a show though.

She nodded hesitantly and stepped back from Ranma. As his body heat left her, she shuddered slightly. Her craving for him was off the charts. She wanted nothing more than to take him up to her room, throw him into bed, and to just ... _cuddle_ with him for the rest of the week — consequences be damned. _But I can't do that. I have responsibilities too, just like he does_. She thought regretfully.

Akane angled her head off to the side and she nodded and stepped to match Akane's indicated path. Ranma started to follow them, but both she and Akane turned back to face him and smiled as they each held up a silent hand for him to stay put.

He gulped and nodded. She saw several emotions flit across his features, among them were anxiousness, passion, desire, determination and ... guilt? She didn't want to dwell on what he might be feeling guilty about.

She turned and matched Akane's pace and walked with her slowly along the same path Akane and Ranma had taken. They were each silent until they had walked a dozen steps or so. She opened her mouth to ask Akane what she wanted, but Akane beat her to it.

"You two are ... good together." Akane whispered.

She looked over at Akane and found her little sister looking at her steadily. Unlike when speaking with Ranma, Akane had never had any problems speaking from the heart to her. It hadn't happened very often over the years, but it had happened occasionally. Siblings usually were close like that ... especially sisters.

"So are the both of you." She whispered back as she looked into Akane's eyes for some clue as to how she should proceed. Was Akane just coming to her to seek a formal release of his engagement before fully taking him back?

Akane sighed and broke eye contact with her. They walked in silence accompanied only by the soft crunching sounds of the ground as they strode slowly over it. It took another few steps before Akane spoke again.

"I still can't tell him. I don't know what's wrong with me." Akane whispered even more quietly. She could barely hear her little sister over the soft calls of the birds in the trees.

She looked sharply over at Akane as her mind raced. "There are ways to show how you feel, even if you can't say the words." She whispered back.

Akane smiled softly at that and looked away again. "I know." Was all Akane said. After another few steps Akane stopped walking. They were standing at the corner of the house. Akane stepped off to the side and faced her. Her little sister's eyes kept darting over her shoulder. She knew Akane had to be looking at both Ranma and herself. It was almost like Akane was trying to position herself to speak to both of them. Akane drew in a deep breath and locked her eyes on hers for a moment and spoke in a low, shaking voice.

"I've been watching you two together since this all started." Akane said in an unreadable tone.

She nodded her head but didn't reply yet. She had been aware of Akane's observations.

"He opens up to you. He doesn't really fight with you. And you've got him doing stuff I never thought I would see him doing. He _listens_ to you." Akane said in that same unreadable tone.

"He listens to you too, Akane." She said softly.

Akane smiled and shook her head slowly. "That's not what I mean. Yes, he listens to me when I speak with him. But, Nabiki ... he _listens_ to you ... even when you're not speaking. He has some kind of connection with you that he never had with me. I don't know what it is, but I know I can't compete with it." Akane said sadly. The brave features of the mask Akane had been wearing were starting to crumble.

"What do you mean?" She asked, confused.

Akane smiled and shrugged. "It's hard to put into words. Let's see ... um ... well, it's kind of like Martial Arts I guess. When I spar with someone, part of what I do is I try to read their energy. You can call it Ki or an aura or just their body language. Whatever you call it, its something you have to tune into and learn to focus on, in order to do it. Once you can though, it changes how you fight. Ranma's ... almost a master of it. That's why I can't touch him when we spar. He can _feel_ what I am going to do next before I even do it. I'm getting to that level of sparring, but I still have a little ways to go." Akane said sardonically with a half smile curving up the right side off her lips.

"But what does that—"

"I'm getting to it." Akane said with a touch of annoyance in her voice. She didn't know where Akane was going yet, but she knew it concerned her and Ranma, so it didn't surprise her that Akane felt upset. "Anyway..." Akane added in a softer tone. "...Anyway... that's what I feel when I watch him together with you. He's _listening_ to you. He doesn't do that with me. He waits for me to speak to him, and then he listens. With you, I see him constantly trying to anticipate what you might say or do next.

"I think it's because he didn't know how to deal with you like he did with me. With me ... we shared a common bond; Kenpo was the language we both spoke. But ... with you ... he didn't know what to do with you, so I think he went into sparring mode and did his best to read you. He probably was just trying to avoid being embarrassed. But ... I think it became a habit for him, and he never stopped doing it, even after he figured out how to interact with you." Akane said softly. Her sister's eyes were looking over her shoulder right now.

"I never had that with him. We never shared a _real_ connection. I know he has feelings for me, and I ... have feelings for him. But ... that's all I know. We don't talk. And it shouldn't be so hard to talk. I don't know why I have so much trouble talking with him, but it's probably the same reason you've had such trouble letting yourself feel anything since Mom died." Akane said in a shaking voice.

"Oh ... Akane..." She said nervously. She _really_ didn't want to talk about Mom right now. She had that area of her mind carefully under quarantine at the moment. She fully intended to talk it out and deal with it completely, but not today. Last night had been ... rough. Once the Amazons were done with she'd ... talk to Kasumi, or Akane, or ... Ranma ... and get it sorted out. But ... not now.

"We don't have a connection, not like you two do, anyway. I think that's one of the reasons I had such a hard time telling him how I felt. I always felt like we weren't quite right for each other. I was waiting for the connection, I think." Akane said softly. Her sister's eyes were still gazing over her shoulder.

"Yeah, but, Akane, there's more than—"

"He never picks me up." Akane interrupted quietly. "He picks you up." Akane added.

"Yeah but—" She tried to say, but Akane cut her off.

"That's the difference, Nabiki. He wants to hold you, right now. With me, we might have something, we might not. It's all still feelings, and fighting, and guessing, and hoping. With you, he wants you so much, he picks you up so you're closer, so he can smell you, and look into your eyes, and feel you. I can see it when I watch him do it. He needs you. I think he's been looking for you his whole life." Akane said in a detached tone, like she was doing her best to not feel what she was saying.

"He picked you up yesterday, I saw him." She argued.

Akane nodded absently. "He did, I think ... I think he did it just to test it out, to see if it felt right."

"Did it?"

"It did for me." Akane said wistfully.

"Oh, Akane..." She said, not sure what to say. She felt fear welling up inside her while she also worked to contain the growing joy inside of herself. She couldn't believe it was happening. Was Akane really letting him go?

Akane held up her hand and shook her head with a small smile etching the corners of her mouth. "Nabiki, when I look at him, I see someone I could ... l-love. When he looks at me, I can _tell_ he has feelings for me. And when we're alone together, sometimes I can almost feel us making a real connection. But I don't think we will ever connect like you two have. Not that I haven't tried, but it just isn't the same as when I watch him when he's with you. When he looks at you ... I can see him _ache_ for you. He loves you more than I think he could have ever loved me. And I can see it all over your face when you look at him, you love him just as much." Akane said softly to her. Nabiki opened her eyes wide in surprise.

"Don't look so shocked. I can read you sometimes, when what you're feeling is really strong. Your acting skills don't always work." Akane said with a small smile.

"Damn it, was I fooling anyone?" She said with no small measure of irritation.

Akane shrugged. "Don't worry. Ranma can read me too, and I can read him. It doesn't change anything. If anything, it makes it easier to be who you really are. All the times we fought, I was trying to tell him what I couldn't say, and he was doing the same. It was kind of our way of sharing our feelings." Akane said sadly.

"Oh, Akane..." She said, heartsick.

Akane shook her head gently. "It's all right, Nabiki. I'm all right." Akane said in a voice that was rapidly breaking apart as her little sister worked to hold back tears that obviously wanted to come out. Akane took a deep breath and continued doggedly. "If it was anyone else but you, I wouldn't be. But it is you. I see you with him, and I see _real_ love. The kind of love I read about. I never thought I would ever see it _for real_. Most people don't ever find it. But you ... did. And, he's so right for you, and you're so right for him. I can _feel_ how much you two love each other. I think he loves you in a way I just couldn't match for him. It's like... like he can't breathe and he's looking for you to be the oxygen that saves him. I can't really explain it, but that's what I feel when I look at him when he's looking at you. I know Ranma would walk through the fires of Hell for you." Akane said with a sniffle as her voice shook.

"He'd come for you too." She interrupted as her heart broke for her little sister.

Akane smiled. "I'm sure he would do it for me too. But, for you, I think he would do it gladly, with a smile on his face. I've never seen _anyone_ love someone as much as he loves you. The fact that he has bonded with you _so strongly,_ in just the last week, is the proof of that. He has bonded more with you in a _week_ than he and I did after _months_ together."

Akane's breath shuddered for a moment as emotions hit her little sister; she was sure they were sad ones. She reached out and took Akane's hands into her own as a tear slid down Akane's cheek.

Akane smiled bravely and continued. "You two _belong_ together. You fit together like corner pieces of a puzzle that were meant to be together. You make him stronger, and he makes you stronger. You're both _so much better_ together. It's like you two weren't quite whole people without each other ... like each of you was missing a tiny part of yourselves. It isn't too obvious that either of you are missing those parts, until you two are together. When you're together, and you give those missing parts back to each other ... it's ... it's like watching _**magic**_ , Nabiki. You're _**perfect**_ together. He needs you, and you need him. I want to cry when I see you two together." Akane said in a voice that was at war with itself as her sister tried to be happy in the face of her own sadness.

"You need him too." She said in her own shaking voice.

Akane shook her head firmly. "You need him much more than I do. And I'm not going to lose him, he'll still be my ... my friend. I l-love him, but not like you do, Nabiki."

Everything stopped for a moment. The world was frozen. She was sure the Earth itself was frozen on its axis momentarily.

Akane had finally said it. She didn't know who was more shocked, Akane or herself. She wondered what had changed inside Akane that had finally allowed her little sister to say the words.

"He loves you too, you know." She whispered to Akane a moment later when she had recovered from the shock of hearing Akane say the words out loud, and she felt reality unfreeze.

Akane looked into her eyes in silence, and jerked her head forward into a quick nod. Then her little sister pressed forward again with clear determination written across her face. It was obvious that Akane was rushing to try to get everything out while she still had the nerve to say it.

"I ... I know. I think ... with enough time, we could have gotten past our issues, and we might have been _really good_ together. But, we also could have ended up killing each other. With you ... it's like watching Mom and Dad together, only more so. Remember? How they used to be, before Mom got sick?"

"I remember." She whispered as tears streamed down her cheeks. She knew the soldiers were probably staring at her. She didn't care.

"I love you, big sister." Akane said sweetly.

"Oh, Akane!" She said as she pulled on her little sister's hands and yanked her into a fierce hug. "Thank you." She whispered into Akane's ear. She knew, she just knew that if Akane hadn't given him up, she and Ranma never would have been able to stay together. She would have felt too guilty, and he would have as well. She buried her face into her little sister's neck, and squeezed her eyes shut while intense emotions raced through her as Akane's hair cascaded across her face.

She had _never_ had a plan for dealing with Akane. That had been the big gaping hole in her whole get-rid-of-the-circus idea. Every time she had tried to come up with a way to help Ranma end things with Akane, she had ended up staring blankly at her paper, or at nothing at all. She would never have been able to keep her promise to Ranma, because of Akane. Despite her reputation, she didn't have it in her to hurt _anyone_ who got in her way, especially her family. Oh sure, getting rid of Kodachi and Shampoo didn't cause her any emotional turmoil. Even Ukyo barely gave her any pause. But Akane ... she would never have been able to help Ranma end things with Akane. Only Akane could have ended it.

"Take care of him." Akane whispered to her as her little sister's body shuddered in her arms while Akane finally let go of the emotions she'd been so valiantly fighting against.

"He ... hasn't chosen me yet." She said in a small voice. Voicing that fear made her feel ... blank.

"He will, I know he will." Akane whispered confidently into her ear.

"I ... hope so. If he chooses you, though ... don't look back, Akane. Promise me, promise me that if he chooses you, you'll take him, and keep him. He's ... very special." She whispered fiercely as she hugged Akane as tightly as she could.

"I know ... I promise." Akane whispered back as she hugged her just as fiercely.

They stayed that way for minutes. She was determined to hold Akane until her little sister had regained her composure and her dignity. It was the least she could do for Akane at the moment. She knew she had tears of her own streaming down her cheeks, but she didn't care. Ranma certainly wouldn't, and she didn't care if anyone else present saw her or judged her for crying in public.

Akane slowly stood up straighter in her arms as her little sister's breathing slowed, and Akane regained her composure. Akane snaked her right hand up between them and wiped her eyes as best she could. Then Akane pulled in a deep breath and let it out slowly as she looked into her own eyes again. Akane's eyes were red-rimmed and it was obvious she had been crying. But there was a certain peace in Akane's eyes now that hadn't been there before.

"You two should get going." Akane said with a small smile.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

Akane smiled more broadly at that. "I'll be okay. Don't worry, I'm strong, Nabiki. This is just one little bump in the road of my life. You two go take care of the Amazons, I'll help watch Kasumi until it gets settled." Akane said in a brave voice as her little sister stepped back away from her, turned on her heel and started to walk around the house.

"You sure?" She called out after Akane.

Her little sister paused and looked back at her and winked. "Sure I'm sure. Good luck out there, be safe." Akane said with a wide and genuine smile. Then her little sister turned around again and continued walking around to the back of the house. Akane never once had turned back to look at Ranma again as she'd left. She was sure that had been deliberate.

She stood there and looked blankly at the corner of the house for several long moments after she lost sight of Akane. Strong emotions, her sense of family duty, and her desire for Ranma were in an all-out war inside of her.

The enormity of what had just happened weighed heavily on her. _The field had been cleared_. If Ranma wanted her, there was no longer anyone left to stand in the way. She had, in a way, finally fulfilled her promise to him.

She was trying to think of a way to say that in which she wouldn't sound like she was gloating, when she felt him next to her. She could still feel his presence. She knew it was him before he put his hand on her shoulder.

"You okay?" He asked in a small voice. He sounded ... concerned. There were other elements in his voice which she couldn't quite identify, but concern was definitely there.

Her answer to him was to turn quickly to him and to pull him into a strong hug. She laid her head down on his shoulder and allowed herself to luxuriate in the heat of him, the smell of him, the total experience that was being in his arms. She pressed her lips up against his ear and whispered to him.

"You remember the promise I made to you in the park last week?" She breathed softly to him.

"Yeah?" He replied just as quietly.

"Promise kept." She said simply.

"You mean ... Akane..."

"Yes... she's said she'll step aside, if you don't want her." She said to him in a shaking voice. She didn't know how he was going to react to that news, and she was afraid of his reaction.

Ranma didn't say anything. Instead he looked at the corner of the house Akane had disappeared around for many long moments with an unreadable expression on his face. His lips moved and she heard him mumbling something softly to himself. She couldn't make out what he was saying, but it sort of sounded like, _why did she,_ over and over again.

She stayed in his arms and did her best to give him the time he needed to wrap his mind around the news. It wasn't every day that a person one had feelings for backed away and gave up on a relationship.

"You didn't..." Ranma asked in an unreadable tone.

"I didn't hurt her, Ranma. I didn't even bring the subject up. She came to me to tell me that she was bowing out. She thinks ... we're good together." She whispered to him.

He turned and looked at her, and smiled nervously before he turned back to look towards where Akane had gone. "Is she going to..." He trailed off in a quavering voice.

"I don't know, Ranma. She didn't say. She still has to finish high school though, same as you. I don't think she's going anywhere anytime soon." She said gently.

"I ... see..." He said slowly, in a neutral voice.

"You can go talk to her ... if you want..." She said carefully. She didn't want him running after Akane, but she wasn't going to say that to him.

He shook his head and turned back to look at her with a soft smile on his face. "Nah, we'd probably just get into a fight. Maybe ... maybe later I'll talk ta her." He said quietly. "We should probably get goin'." He added as he reached for her hand.

She nodded eagerly as she grasped his hand and stepped by his side. "I agree." She said with her own small smile on her face.

 _I did it, I did it, I DID IT!_ She shouted to herself in joy as she walked side-by-side with him.

 _Don't get cocky, just because Akane stepped aside, doesn't mean he'll pick me. Hell, just because Akane bowed out doesn't mean she won't change her mind ... I changed **my** mind after all_. She admonished herself.

She could see him sneaking little glances at her out of the corner of her eye and closed her eyes briefly as they reached the gate. No matter how the day turned out, she knew she would never forget the last week she'd had with him. She mentally shook herself and steeled herself to focus on the here and now, and resolved to think about everything else later.

They stepped through the gate without anyone else calling them back. She actually let out a little sigh of relief as they closed the gate behind them. Captain Maki turned around, came to attention, and saluted her. She returned the salute absently, but her eyes were on the other person standing under the arch of the gate.

Miso was leaning up against the post of the gate again, like she had yesterday. Miso looked like she always did, calm, confident, and decidedly unconcerned about everything happening around her. The woman was an enigma. She held up a finger and tilted her head to the side in a silent question for the woman to wait for a moment. Miso nodded her head a fraction of a millimeter but otherwise made no outward sign of communication.

She sighed and turned back to regard captain Maki with her full attention. She regarded him silently for a moment before she spoke. She could see in his eyes that he didn't think his mission was a joke anymore. She sighed and softened her expression a little bit.

"Were any of your men killed?" She asked in her professional tone of voice. She wanted to convey sympathy to him, but she wanted to still keep the interaction on a professional level. This man and his soldiers were in charge of her family's security. If it came to it, she was willing to sacrifice every single one of them in order to spare her family the same fate.

Captain Maki shook his head. "No, ma'am. We suffered some casualties but no fatalities." He said in a clear, sharp voice. His eyes were showing some nervousness, but his voice was the typical soldier's voice.

She nodded respectfully. "Will they be able to resume their duties? Do you have enough men to complete your mission, or do I need to call general Nagai for reinforcements?" She asked.

"Negative, ma'am. We came equipped with two hundred percent of the personnel and matériel anticipated as required to complete the mission. We would have to suffer a greater than fifty percent casualty rate in order to need reinforcements." He said briskly.

She smiled sadly at that. "You may want to send for reinforcements anyway, just in case. I sincerely doubt the Amazons will stop attacking today." She said as gently as she could. "I am assuming you have a better idea of what you're up against now?" She added.

Captain Maki nodded firmly. "Correct. Your father, and his friend have been working with my platoon lieutenants. That doctor fellow has also been helping to instruct some of the sergeants commanding at the squad level on effective fighting strategy against the invaders' preferred tactics."

"How did they manage to get through your lines this morning?" She asked in a cooler voice. If she hadn't had the foresight to have a backup plan for the soldiers, the damage and injury to her home and family could have been much worse.

"Ma'am, they crept up to the walls and tried to disable the soldiers they encountered, to slip through the lines. Fortunately, your doctor friend was up on the roof and he called out warnings in time to prevent the tactic from working. Your father and his friend joined the battle shortly after that and helped push them back beyond the walls. It was an all-out melee for a while, and all hand-to-hand combat too. They were in too close for firearms at that point. We repelled them though ... with ... the help of some of those ... professionals ... you allowed inside yesterday." He said with an obvious tone of wounded pride. She was sure it pained him to admit that he and his men had needed help.

 _Well, tough. They wouldn't have wounded pride at all if none of the Amazons had gotten past them._ She growled to herself. Out loud she continued her neutral and professional demeanor. "I saw that you have brought in the martial artists in my family to stand watch next to your soldiers now." She said calmly.

"Affirmative. They proved instrumental in helping repel the initial attack. I didn't want them in danger earlier. But after seeing what they could do, I felt it was wisest to use their skills as they offered them. Your father is anchoring the defenses in the North-West corner, and his friend is anchoring the South-East corner. The doctor is acting as a rear-guard up on the roof. I have placed some of my own men up there as well to act as scouts and informational relays. Of course ... they had to use a ladder." Captain Maki said in a self deprecating tone.

She smiled at that. That had been military-speak for, _yeah, we screwed up and got cocky, and it almost was a disaster, sorry about that._ She turned towards Miso and tilted her head towards the street. Miso nodded and stepped away from the gate and started walking casually towards the street.

Nabiki turned back to captain Maki and hardened her gaze. "Ranma and I will be leaving shortly. Your orders are the same, protect my family ... at _any_ cost. Additionally, if any of the four young women who came in yesterday with Miso here ask you for a status update, please give it to them, exactly as you would give it to me. The chain of command will stay in place though, Doctor Tofu is in charge in my absence. Also, since I am taking Ranma with me, if Doctor Tofu is incapacitated, please defer to my father. If they are both incapacitated, I leave you to your best judgment to protect my family. My family is more important than the house. If you have to sacrifice the house to save my family, then do it.

Captain Maki nodded, and saluted. "Don't worry, ma'am. We'll keep them safe." He said in a more serious tone than he had yesterday. He clearly understood the threat was real now.

She held his gaze for a moment, then nodded and stepped to the side. Ranma followed her, and she met up with Miso after a few more paces. They stopped in the middle of the street and regarded each other silently for a few moments as Ranma hung back and waited.

She smiled at Miso. "I barely know you, but I feel like I've known you all my life." She said hesitantly.

"I get that a lot." Miso said with a half smile curving her lips upwards.

"You have been doing a lot of stuff that I haven't seen, haven't you? You are more than just casual friends with Tofu, aren't you?" She asked.

Miso smiled more warmly at that. "Why don't you ask him yourself?" Miso asked as she waved towards their rooftop. A moment later Tofu bounded down off their roof, hopped off the top of the wall, and landed in the street next to Miso.

"And where are you two off to?" He said in his usual warm voice.

She smiled at him and ignored his question. "Miso is ... Miso is ... your instructor, isn't she? She's your master, right? That's the only thing that makes sense." She guessed. She was pretty sure she was right though.

Miso turned and winked at Tofu. "See, I told you she'd figure it out. You owe me a week's worth of gardening, Tofu." Miso said with a laugh.

Tofu smiled good naturedly and nodded.

Ranma squinted at Miso and looked her up and down with suspicion, then over at Tofu, then back over to Miso.

Miso stared back at him with a goofy face that was a parody of his serious stare.

Ranma looked back at Tofu with wide eyes. "She's ... your ... master?" He asked, perplexed.

"Yes Ranma. She is." Tofu stated simply.

Nabiki was done with the theatrics. She rushed over to Miso and grabbed the older woman's hands earnestly. "I know how good you are, I saw it yesterday when you helped protect me and my friends. Can you help us end this?" She asked in a voice that she was trying to prevent sounding desperate. She knew she wasn't succeeding.

Miso smiled softly at her and removed one of her hands from Nabiki's grasp and used it to enfold Nabiki's right hand softly. The older woman stared into Nabiki's eyes for a moment, then softly shook her head.

"This story isn't about me, Miss Tendo. It's about you. I've always liked how Shakespeare put it, 'all the world is a stage, and we are merely actors upon it.' And I ... I'm just a bit-part character on an already crowded stage. It isn't my role to upstage you." The _nurse_ said softly to her.

"But ... you protected us..." She said in a voice wounded with disappointment.

"I did, and I would do so again ... at the school. As a favor to Tofu, I agreed to watch over you, and those you loved, while you were at school. My student is good, but he can't be everywhere at once. He is trying to do what he can to help your family, for his own reasons. I support him in his efforts. But that doesn't mean I am going to just start fighting everyone's battles for them. Have faith in yourself, and in young Saotome here. I will keep your friends safe. You have my word on that. But as for the greater conflict happening, I am afraid that is for you to resolve. If all the world's a stage, then you are the leading lady right now, Miss Tendo. You have a role to play. You can call it destiny if you wish, or you can call it stage direction. However you think of it, the world is waiting to see what you do, and I will not interfere with that."

"But—"

"No, Miss Tendo. I am not your guardian angel. I am also not a mercenary to be hired. I will assist you by protecting your friends, because I want to. But this situation is essentially of your making and Ranma's, and I am a firm believer in letting people learn the lessons from the choices they make." Miso said in a voice which wasn't unkind, but wasn't kind either.

"We didn't—"

"I know you didn't ask for this, Miss Tendo. But the fact is that the situation could have been avoided or defused, and you chose not to. I know it was a choice you felt you couldn't make, and I know Ranma felt he couldn't make the choice either. But, regardless, it _was_ possible to stop this situation from developing into what it now is. All Ranma had to do was agree to their demands, and all you had to do was let him. I know that wasn't what either of you wanted to do, but such is life." Miso said with a wink.

"I see." Nabiki said slowly as she considered what Miso had said.

"You and Ranma chose to fight, and you, Miss Tendo, chose to stick with him, no matter the cost. You both will have to own those decisions, and your family will have to own them with you. Your friends are innocent, and I agree, they should not be made to suffer from this situation, one way or another — so I will not let them. But as for you and Ranma, I'm sorry, but you're on your own." Miso said softly.

"Master, couldn't you—" Tofu started to say pleadingly, but Miso held a hand up to silence him.

"I have been keeping the Joketsuzoku off balance, and putting just enough fear in them to keep them from launching an all-out assault, because you asked me to, Tofu. But that was when there was still a chance for these two to change their minds. That time has passed now. It's time for them to face the consequences of their choices." Miso said softly as she turned back to face her.

"This isn't about me, and it isn't about Tofu. It isn't even about Ranma. This is about you, Nabiki. I won't fight your battles for you. You've chosen to let Ranma do that for you and your family. Now we have to see if that was a wise choice for you to make."

"I ... understand." She said heavily.

Miso smiled at her then. "Don't look so glum. I will keep your friends safe, you can count on that. And Tofu has pledged himself to your cause as well. And, obviously, young Saotome here will fight for you. Those are some _powerful_ forces at your disposal. The Joketsuzoku might very well be evenly matched."

Nabiki looked at her, and nodded firmly.

"In the end ... it isn't going to be about who wins what fight, or who dates who, or who marries who. In the end, it is going to be about you, Nabiki. Not because of selfishness, not because of destiny. It is simply your time. Miso said kindly as the older woman put a hand on her shoulder and smiled.

She understood what Miso was saying. She didn't really like it, but she understood it. She sighed and nodded. "All right. I guess there isn't much more to say. Let's get going, Ranma." She said as she started walking away from home.

Ranma hurried to join her, and was at her side a moment later. He didn't reach out to hold her hand though. He was scanning the rooftops, looking for threats. She looked back at Miso and found the older woman watching her and smiling warmly.

"Go make your destiny, Miss Tendo. I'll see you when you get back." Miso said as Tofu sighed and hopped back up towards the roof. She held her eyes on Miso's for several moments, then nodded and turned to start walking with Ranma again. Ranma waited until they were out of earshot before he finally said anything.

"It'll be OK, Nabiki. Don't worry." He said seriously.

She sighed and didn't say anything for a few moments. Then she looked over at him, took a deep breath, and smiled. "I know it will, Ranma. You made me a promise. And you keep your promises, and you never lose. That's what you told me, right?" She said in reply. She was trying to joke, but it came across more like an accusation.

"Yeah, that's right." He said in a steady voice. She smiled at him to reassure him that she believed him.

Ranma looked over at her and stopped walking. "You ready to go find the Old Ghoul and finish this?" He asked as she stopped next to him.

She looked into his eyes and took another deep breath. The cold morning air invaded her nose and chilled her. She clutched her satchel tighter in her hand and nodded. The stiff leather of the handle felt heavy in her hand, and the weight of everything else that was happening was sitting heavily on her shoulders.

She reached down into her center and grasped her courage tightly. She knew she couldn't let go of it today, even for a second, or she might break and run, or crumble into a pile of quivering fear. She met his eyes slowly and let out a shuddering breath and nodded as she reached for his hand. "You lead, Ranma, and I'll follow you." She said as bravely as she could. She was proud that her hand was only shaking a little bit.

He nodded back, and reached out and took her hand. "Don't worry, after today, this should be done."

She nodded, and they set off at an easy pace away from home. She would fill him in on her plan as they walked.

 _I'm not worried, Ranma ... I'm terrified_. She thought as she followed him. In many ways, for possibly the last time.


	58. You Didn't Give Me Any Choice

[soundtrack for this: _believe_ , by **Kalafina,** then _Light My Fire_ by **Kotoko** , then _Enigmatic Karma_ by **Eir Aoi** , in that order (it's a long chapter)]

Nabiki stumbled then caught herself as she ran next to Ranma. They were darting down narrow moldy smelling alleyways and ducking between buildings as they fought their way through Nerima. She was tired, but holding on well enough. Her plan for ending the Amazon threat had been simple. Find Shampoo's Great Grandmother, confront her, and end it.

She hadn't counted on just how fierce the fighting would be to get from her home to the restaurant the Amazons were using as their base. That was throwing off her plan. She knew the Amazons were still using the Cat Café as their base, because Riko and the others had passed it on their way to her house while being escorted by Miso, and they'd slipped her a report on what they had seen earlier.

The Cat Café had been closed, and her friends hadn't seen any Japanese people inside or outside the building. All they had seen, as Riko had put it were, "A casting call for angry Chinese women with bodies to make men weep with desire." She smiled inwardly at Riko's sense of humor as she ran alongside Ranma.

At first they had fought every Amazon they had come across, and after Ranma had won she had asked in Mandarin where the old woman was. Most of the defeated Amazons had either been too out of it to answer, or had feigned ignorance. The few who had answered had usually just pointed in the direction of the Cat Café and muttered, " _over there_." A very small number of them had actually said the words _café_ or _restaurant_.

After a couple dozen or so fights, they had shifted their tactics to trying to avoid the Amazons. They hadn't been getting new information, and the fights had been slowing them down.

The Amazons had started to figure out what they were doing though. It was clear the word was getting out that she and Ranma were outside the safety of the walls of her family's lands, and that they were on their way towards the Cat Café. The resistance was starting to get serious. Instead of running into random Amazons here and there, and occasional pairs of them, they had started to run into squads of three to five and the Amazons were starting to position themselves to watch alleyways and other sneaky ways of moving. The rooftops were out of the question. Every other time she looked up she could see an Amazon up on a rooftop scanning for them.

Ranma, when he had to be, had proved to be quite good at running and hiding. He hadn't liked the idea at first, but she had convinced him by telling him that the more small fights he avoided, the more of his strength he could save to face their matriarch. She had also pointed out that every fight he got in brought with it the risk that she could be hurt or killed while he was busy fighting. He had agreed but she could tell it still rankled him.

 _Don't worry, Ranma. I'm sure you will have all the fight you can handle when you face the old woman_. She thought with a mix of emotions between pride and fear. She honestly didn't know if he was good enough to beat the old woman on his own. She also didn't have any other options open for dealing with the Joketsuzoku elder. As Miso had said, she had bet on Ranma. Now she had to wait and see if the bet would pay off.

She looked over at him and smiled to herself as she ran. She was out of breath, and having to summon all of the inner strength she had just to keep moving, but she was ignoring her body's protests. _He's going to be—_

Her thoughts were cut off as Ranma suddenly stopped and held a hand out. They were about to emerge from the alleyway they were in out into a little open area that was sandwiched between buildings. It looked like a combination of a garage and parking area with a narrow driveway that led back into it.

She looked at him with wide eyes as she stopped and did her best to catch her breath as quietly as she could. It annoyed her a bit that he wasn't even breathing heavily. Even Akane would at least be breathing a little bit heavily after the distance they had run.

"What's wrong?" She whispered to him.

"Doesn't smell right." He whispered back.

She looked around at the open area, then back at him and shrugged. There were some deep shadows around the garage, and by the tree that stood next to the garage, but otherwise it looked clear. "It looks clear, and besides, unless you want to backtrack and try a different path, we have to go through here." She whispered to him. She was all for safety, but she also just flat out couldn't run as long and as far as he could. They were going to have to start slowing down, or taking rest breaks, for her to keep up. If they didn't do that, he would have to carry her. If he carried her though, he would have to waste precious seconds putting her down safely when they ran across an Amazon.

He looked over at her, and nodded with a frown etching his face. She saw in his eyes that she had been wrong, he _was_ tired. But it wasn't his body that was tired. She could see in his eyes that his patience and control were rapidly fading. The kind spark she usually saw in his eyes was dimming. She could still see in his eyes that he had feelings for her, _strong_ feelings, but the part of him that she associated with his kindness, was dimming to the point of almost disappearing. That worried her.

 _It's amazing how certain experiences can alter one's point of view_. She thought as Ranma slowly stepped forward and waved her to follow him closely. Just a few days ago she had called for him to finish off a defeated opponent. Now she was worrying about what he would do if he lost control.

 _Of course, in my defense, I_ had _just been thrown off a building_. She thought glibly as she followed him into the little courtyard.

They made it to the center of the courtyard, then the attack hit. Several Amazons boiled out of the shadows near the tree and garage, and two stepped out of the shadows along the walls that touched the alley they had exited. They'd had no way of seeing them.

Ranma growled and danced backwards from the leading two Amazons and parried the strike from the lead Amazon with his right hand while he kept his left hand on her. The Amazon pressed him, but he simply slipped through her guard with his left foot and wrapped her ankle as he leaned in and took her balance while he flexed his leg and dropped the Amazon to the ground. The young warrior tried to get back up but Ranma quickly slid in and kneed her to the chin and knocked her out as he pulled Nabiki forward and kept his hand on her at all times.

A moment later he wrapped his arms around her and spun her out of the way of something. He released her just as quickly but again kept his left hand touching her. The next two closest Amazons were attacking him. Well, actually she could tell that the Amazons were trying to get to her, but Ranma wouldn't let them.

The Amazons double teamed him and threw rapid kicks, high and low in her direction, trying to get to her. Ranma circled the Amazons while keeping his left hand on Nabiki and moving her with him. That placed one of the attacking Amazons slightly in front of the other. With one of them isolated, he concentrated on that Amazon's kicks and slapped the next two down, then met the third with a dropped elbow right above the knee.

Nabiki heard the Amazon suck her breath in sharply as the Amazon hobbled back from him and switched to trying to use hand techniques. Ranma tightened his hand on her and darted into the Amazon's guard. He slipped his body sideways and parried the Amazon's hands to get into her guard, then threw two low body punches to get the Amazon's attention. As soon as the Amazon switched her defense low, he flexed his legs and surged upward and smashed an elbow into the side of the Amazon's head. The Chinese warrior dropped to the ground and didn't move.

The Amazon he had effectively blocked with the body of the other one surged forward and jumped over her fallen comrade as the two from behind them reached striking distance.

Ranma responded by grabbing Nabiki and jumping clear of the middle of the Amazons and landing a short distance away so all of the Amazons were in front of him again. It was a tactic he had been perfecting in their numerous fights of the day. He set her back down on the ground and stepped in front of her again while continuing to keep his left hand on her. He was growling louder now as the Amazons sprinted over to him to re-engage the fight.

All she could see of him at the moment was his back, but she could feel in his aura how angry he was becoming. Even though the anger wasn't directed at her, it still made her nervous. Ranma commanded a great deal of power. If he lost control ... it would be ... bad.

 _That won't happen though, right? He hasn't lost control yet, and he's even stepped in and stopped Akane when she's lost control in situations where he could have lost control himself_. She worried as she watched him. She wasn't even paying attention to the Amazons. It never even crossed her mind that he would lose against any of them, and therefore they weren't a threat to her.

The Amazons reached him, and he exploded into motion. He yanked her forward so her body was literally pressed up against his back, and then he let go of her with his left hand. She tried to watch over his shoulder at what he did, but he was a blur. She saw his hands become a circular blur of weaving motion, and she heard the sounds of the impacts of fists striking human flesh.

It was over a moment later. Ranma stopped moving and stood in a guard position in front of her. When the dust had cleared she saw all three of the remaining Amazons lying unconscious at his feet. All of them were already showing signs of bruising on their faces. And she was pretty sure one of them had a broken nose.

She walked hesitantly towards the Amazons. Ranma caught her motion, and held a hand up and stopped her.

"What're ya doin'?" He asked her in a low and dangerous voice. She turned slowly back towards him and gasped softly. The spark of kindness in his eyes she was so used to seeing, was almost gone.

She raised an eyebrow at him and put a slightly harder edge into her voice than she usually used with him. "I am just going to check if any of them need an ambulance. We can tell someone to call one before we leave." She said sternly. She was hoping that she could snap him back from the brink he seemed to be standing on. But her words seemed to have no affect on him.

He shook his head and stepped forward quickly. "No. Too dangerous. They could be playin' dead. I'll check." He said as he moved rapidly to kneel down next to the Amazons and blocked her access to them. He moved his hands rapidly to each girl's neck to check for a pulse, and he pried open the eyes of each girl and looked at their pupils. He stood up as soon as he was done and reached for her hand without looking back at her.

"They're fine, let's go." He said in an angry voice.

She nodded and squeezed his hand gently. It had the desired affect on him. He paused and looked back at her and tried to smile. She could tell he was pretending for her sake, but just the fact that he could still do that told her that he wasn't as far gone as she had been worried he was getting.

"Ready?" She asked him softly.

He nodded. "Yeah." He said in a weary voice.

"Do you need to rest?" She asked him. She knew he was in better shape than she was, but he was also the only one fighting.

He shook his head. "Nah, the sooner we find the Old Ghoul, the sooner we can end this." He said in a tone that left little to interpretation. She sighed and nodded.

"All right, let's go." She said as she squeezed his hand again. He set off a moment later after he squeezed her hand in return. She once again found herself running next to him as they ran up the next alley as they made their way ever closer to the Cat Café.

 _Just hang on, Ranma. Just a little bit longer and then you won't have to fight any more_. She thought anxiously as she followed him.

***

A half hour later Nabiki found herself in yet another fight against the Amazons. They had been in so many fights now that she had lost track. Ranma was handling it as he always did, but she was growing increasingly worried about him. She was also growing increasingly annoyed with the Amazons.

Ranma was using his usual tactic of keeping his left hand on her while he fought, and moving her around as he did so. It wasn't working as well as it had in the past. She was pretty sure some of the Amazons they had already fought had regained consciousness and told the rest of their sisters the tactics he was using. For the last few fights they had been in, the attacks had been coming more and more from every direction. The Amazons were working hard to attack him in a way where he couldn't focus his attention in just one direction. There had already been a couple of close calls where the Amazons had slipped past his guard and almost managed to get to her. In those instances, Ranma had reacted the most strongly, and the damage he had done to the Amazons who had almost managed to get to her, had been much worse than usual.

She was growing increasingly worried for her own safety, and also for the safety of the Amazons. She knew Ranma was getting increasingly close to the edge; she knew his self control couldn't endure for much longer. But even with him fighting so hard for her, she also knew it was getting increasingly likely that the Amazons were going to hurt her. She had stopped ignoring the danger the Amazons represented, and started focusing strongly on the Amazons as they attacked. A couple of times it had been the warning she had called out that had saved Ranma from getting hit from behind. And she had now had to dodge two attacks that had gotten through Ranma's guard. Luckily for her all she'd had to do was duck so far.

She was sure people thought she was crazy for going with him; she wasn't. She had gone with Ranma for two reasons. The first, and main reason was exactly what she'd told Daddy. If Ranma was going to fight for their family, she wanted to support him as best she could. She also wanted to lend her tactical thinking experience to his efforts, and to help him plan on the go. But, the other reason she had gone with him, which she had left unvoiced, was that he was the person she felt safest with.

Daddy was strong, but Ranma was stronger. Even though going with him had meant she would be putting herself into the midst of the fighting, she had still felt that had been the safest option available to her. At least ... that had been what she had thought before they had left. Now that she was actually experiencing it, she was having second thoughts. But it was too late now, she couldn't very well ask him to escort her back home and then set off again alone. He was strong, but he wasn't a machine, he would grow fatigued from fighting, the same as anyone.

Ranma's abrupt movement in front of her snapped her out of her reverie. Ranma stepped into yet another nameless Amazon's stance, and crashed his fist into the Chinese warrior's face. The Amazon crumpled to the ground in front of him. Then he pivoted, and grabbed her, and yanked her back before he spun and slammed a devastating rear-kick into the ribs of another attacking Amazon who had been creeping up behind her with a weapon raised. She could hear ribs break as the Amazon was launched back away from them.

Ranma was breathing hard and she could feel the heat of his battle aura pouring off him. She knew if she was able to calm herself down and use what he had shown her, that she would see him blazing with his battle aura. She was too upset to do that, though. Despite her own efforts to remain calm, she was getting angry too.

Another two Amazons plopped down to the ground from the roof above them. Ranma reacted instantly to the one on the left, and she launched herself at the one on the right. She didn't know who was more surprised, the Amazon or herself as she punched at the Amazon. The Amazon managed to block her first punch, but not her second. She growled as the Amazon's head snapped back and ran forward to carry the fight to her. She felt someone incredibly strong grab her and pull her back before she took more than a step forward. Then Ranma slid in front of her and chopped down with his left hand as he struck horizontally with his right. The Amazon collapsed from the chop to her carotid artery in her neck. At the same time a metal clattering sound rang out at her feet.

She looked down and saw a knife. She looked quickly at Ranma with wide eyes. He nodded. "She was going to knife you with the hand she was hiding from you with her body. She took the second punch to get the knife out." He said in a dead voice as he swept his eyes around them looking for danger. The attack seemed to be over for the moment.

She sucked air in through her teeth and nodded as adrenaline surged in her system. Fist fights were one thing, but she was clearly not ready for weapon fights. Her mind just didn't operate on that level. Not yet anyway.

"Clearly I need more training _._ " She said nervously. That had been close.

He nodded. "Later though." He said with a small smile. "I'm so tired of this!" He added darkly, angrily.

"I am too." She said wearily.

"Maybe we cou—" Ranma interrupted himself as he lunged forward and stepped past her. She turned as fast as she could and saw him put his body in front of hers to shield her as the Amazon who'd tried to knife her lunged forward with the knife in her hand again. Clearly the Chinese warrior had only been stunned.

Ranma didn't have time to do anything other than put his body in the way of the attack. She screamed as the knife darted in towards his body. It was going to hit his heart! "Ranma, NO!" She screamed as a fear worse than any she had ever experienced in her life seized her body.

At the last possible moment he jerked his body to the right as he flapped his left arm open and closed quickly and the knife-hand passed to his left side then was pinned against his body by his arm. He twisted sharply to his right and she heard bones break in the Amazon's wrist and arm. As he unwound from the twist stance he was in, he unloaded a rear cross-punch into the Amazon's face and sent her sprawling. The Amazon hit the ground hard with no effort to break her landing. Ranma stayed in a fighting stance for another few moments, then relaxed and turned back and smiled at her.

"Anyway, like I was sayin', maybe we cou—"

This time it was her turn to interrupt him. She felt like she was slipping back into the darkness. She felt hysterical, her breathing was ragged and panicked. She ran up to him and grabbed his shirt in her hands and shook him.

"YOU HAVE TO BE MORE CAREFUL!" She screamed at him. He physically recoiled from her like he had been punched as his eyes went wide with surprise.

"Nabiki, I ..." He stammered.

She stepped angrily towards him and pushed him back as she continued to scream at him. "YOU HAVE TO! I CAN'T, I CAN'T, I CAN'T!" She screamed hysterically at him.

"What? Can't what?" He asked, wide eyed and alarmed as he backpedaled away from her.

She let go of his shirt and brought her fists up and slammed them into his chest as hard as she could. "YOU! I CAN'T LOSE YOU, YOU IDIOT! I CAN'T I CAN'TICAN'T!" She screamed at him as she collapsed on to him and sobbed. He caught her and pulled her in close and held her. It had never even crossed her mind that he wouldn't catch her.

"I ... I'm sorry, Kiki ... that's just ... it's always the way I've fought. It's the Anything Goes style. We take risks." He whispered to her as he stroked her hair and rocked back and forth with her. She was silent for a long while as she shuddered in his arms and let it out. The worry, the anguish, the fear, all of it. Everything that had been building up since he had started having to fight the Amazons for her. When she started to get herself under control, he whispered to her again. "I ... I can't fight to protect you and your family ... and not take risks..."

"I know ... Ranma ... I know. But ... I still can't handle it. If I trust you completely, and tie my life to yours, you **can't** go away. I **can't** handle it if you die. **Do you understand?** If we do this, I **CAN'T** lose you! I can't go through it again. You know what losing my mother did to me, it almost killed me. It **WILL** kill me, if you die." She whispered to him.

He nodded fiercely and held her even more tightly and rocked with her back and forth. Of course he knew, he'd been there when she had finally had to face it. He was, literally, the only person on Earth besides herself, who did know.

"I ... I promise ... I swear, Nabiki, I'll be careful. I won't take unnecessary risks. Okay? I promise."

"Do you mean it?" She whispered back.

"I mean it. I promise, I'll be careful. I'll only do what has to be done to protect you and our family, and nuthin' more, all right?" He asked quietly.

She sniffled into his shirt and nodded her head sharply, then the tears came again. He just held her while she cried and clucked soothing noises to her until she stopped.

***

Less than a half hour later, Nabiki found herself running again. She and Ranma were both tired. It felt like they were running into fewer of the Amazons, but the ones they were running into were taking Ranma longer and longer to beat. It was wearing him down. At the moment they were quietly running up an alley and trying to avoid a group of the Amazons they had spied in the street down the block. She had been almost positive that Shona had been in the group. They had still yet to see Shampoo, Mousse or the elder Joketsuzoku. They were only one street away from the Cat Café.

They made it to the end of the alley and found a small wooden fence blocking their path. Ranma didn't even pause. He simply reached over for her, wrapped an arm around her, and leaped over the fence. While he held her, she could feel his heavy breathing as his chest heaved mightily as his body tried to bring in enough oxygen to fuel his nonstop motion. He had been running or fighting almost without a pause for well over an hour now. She had only been running, and she got to rest every time they were forced to stop and fight. And even with the rests she was getting, she still felt exhausted.

Ranma looked tired, and he was breathing heavily, but otherwise she saw nothing to indicate how exhausted he had to be. Her biggest worry was the darkness she now saw in his eyes. The spark of kindness that defined him was still there, but it was even more dim now than it had been earlier. She was sure it was mostly because the Amazons kept trying to hurt her. If they were only targeting him she didn't think he'd be as upset as he clearly was.

They cleared the fence, and she smiled. She could see the Cat Café. _We made it_. She thought to herself. As he set her down she reached out and grabbed his wrist tightly. For a split-second she felt him tense up like he was going to fight her, then his control asserted itself and he paused and looked back at her with some impatience showing on his face.

"What?" He asked in a tense voice.

She smiled softly and pushed him back against the wall of the alley they were still in. "Hang on a minute. There was a reason you brought me with you besides my charming personality." She said with as much levity as she could. She had been hoping to earn at least a smile with her self deprecating humor, but he didn't even crack a small smirk. She swallowed nervously and continued. "Rest for a bit. We're here, we've made it. We need a plan." She said softly as she slid herself into his arms and laid her head down on his shoulder.

His body stayed tense against her for many long seconds. After what felt like an eternity, he finally nodded and relaxed against her slightly. She could tell he was still holding himself ready to fight, and she could feel the motion of his head as he continued to scan for danger. But she had succeeded in pulling him back from the edge he had been standing on.

"So, what's your plan?" She asked him. Combat was his specialty. She had more experience with general tactical planning, but she had no practical experience with the costs and requirements of combat. So she would need him to come up with at least part of the plan.

"I ... um ... I was just going to kick in the door and challenge the Old Ghoul." He said after a moment's thought.

She grimaced. It appeared she was going to have to help him formulate more of the plan than she had thought she would. "All right, and what happens if you kick the door in, and you trigger a trap or there are a thousand pissed off Amazons inside?" She asked as gently as she could.

"Nah, I've been to their village, I don't think they have a thousand people who could fight in that whole village, even if they brought the kids and old ladies. Heck, even if they brought the guys, I don't think there were a thousand of them. They have a couple hundred fighters at best." He said confidently.

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "I wasn't being literal, Ranma. I don't think you could squeeze more than a hundred people into that café anyway. That wasn't the point. The point was, you're tired, and you've already fought at least fifty of them. I could tell some of them weren't very good. But the last half dozen or so you've fought have been pretty good, haven't they? Not as good as Shampoo or Shona, but good enough to cause trouble, right?" She pressed him.

He started to shake his head so she looked up and scowled at him. He grimaced and sighed as he shrugged and changed his head shake to a reluctant nod as he shrugged. "I dunno, maybe. But don't worry, I can handle it."

"You're tired, Ranma. It was harder getting here than I thought it would be. What if there are twenty Amazons in there, all as good as Shona? Can you handle twenty Shonas?" She asked him.

"Sure I can, I—"

"Ranma!" She growled sternly at him, interrupting him. "This is not the time for your pride to be making decisions. You aren't going to impress me by acting macho. I already know you're strong. You don't need to prove it. If you want to impress me, show me you can fight smart as well and strong." She whispered to him more gently as she laid her head back down on his shoulder.

He tensed under her again, and she braced herself for a fight with him. She knew if she was Akane, they would already be fighting. After an uncomfortable moment had passed, she felt him deflate under her, and then nod.

"All right ... let's do it your way. What do ya suggest?" He asked her in a voice that was a mix of defensiveness and determination.

She smiled and tilted her head towards the café. "Can you get us up to the roof without being seen?" She asked.

He looked over at the café then back and her and nodded.

"Can you throw a rock down the block accurately enough to hit something to make noise?" She asked.

He nodded again.

"Okay, then my plan is simple. Grab one of those rocks in the alley, throw it as far away as you can while still hitting something to make a noise. As soon as however many Amazons are watching the café look at the noise or go to investigate, you get us up to the roof unseen, and we'll go in from the top floor." She said in a rush as the plan unfolded in her own mind.

"Okay, then what?" He asked.

She smiled at him slyly. "Then ... you get to do what you wanted to do in the first place. Take them by surprise, knock out anyone who gets in our way, find the old lady, and finish this." She said calmly. She was placing her life in his hands by willingly going with him into a hive of the Amazons. She looked into his eyes and saw him thinking exactly what she was thinking.

"Maybe ... maybe you should wait here..." He said uncertainly.

She shook her head no. "What happens if someone finds me while I'm waiting? I'd have no chance. At least if I'm with you, I'll have a chance." She said firmly.

"Why is everything always so difficult?" He grumbled as he tightened his arms around her.

She smiled at him. "Because neither one of us are willing to let life come to us. Both of us keep insisting on meeting life on our own terms, and that makes things difficult sometimes." She said with a wink.

He looked into her eyes briefly and she saw a small twinkle appear in the darkness there for just a moment. "Yeah, I guess that's true." He said with a small amount of amusement in his voice.

"Ready?" She asked him. She was willing to let him stand and rest as long as he needed. There was no huge rush for them to take the next step in the plan. She could already tell that he had recovered a great deal just by standing still with her for the half minute they had been talking. His heart rate was down, and his breathing had slowed. She could tell just by looking at him that he was still tired, but his miraculous recovery abilities were already at work peeling back some of the exhaustion that had been wrapping around him as they had fought to get to the café.

He smiled and nodded as he let go of her and bent down to pick up a rock. He hefted it in his hand for a moment and tested its weight. Then he looked over at her with an anxious expression on his face. "You sure about this?" He asked nervously.

She smiled sadly at him. "If we fail, we fail. At least we'll be together. But I don't think we're going to fail. I've never seen you lose, Ranma. I don't see why today will be any different." She said with as much confidence she could put into her voice.

He looked into her eyes silently for a few more seconds. She could tell he was trying to communicate with her a lot of things he wasn't able to put voice to yet. Chief among them was that he was scared. She didn't think he was scared for himself, she was sure he was scared for her.

She stepped closer to him and gently put her hands on either side of his face and pulled him towards her. She pulled him to the right and placed her lips right next to his ear and whispered gently to him. "I believe in you, Ranma. Let's finish this. Don't forget, today's the end of the week-long promise." She said in a teasing voice. She felt it was a perfect combination of encouragement and intimacy.

She stepped back and laced her hands behind his neck and looked into his eyes. He licked his lips nervously, then swallowed hard and nodded. "All right, let's do this. Get ready, cuz I'm gonna grab ya an' jump as soon as I throw the rock." He said anxiously.

She nodded firmly and let go of him and stepped so she was behind him and slightly off to the side. He poked his head out of the alley quickly and looked around, then stepped back as he angled his body and pulled the rock back like a baseball and then threw it high into the air in a huge arc. He watched it sail up into the air and counted down silently to himself as he reached back for her. She stepped up quickly next to him and he wrapped his arms around her tightly and picked her up. A second after she heard a loud clanging sound down the street from what sounded like the something running into a wall, he tensed his legs, and leaped.

Even knowing what he could do, and experiencing it in the past, she still wasn't fully prepared for the experience. The sense of speed was incredible, and she could actually feel the pull of gravity increase on her as Ranma moved them at super-sonic speed up to the roof of the café.

As soon as Ranma landed on the roof he set her down in the lee of the chimney he had landed them next to and he quickly took up a fighting stance in front of her. She could hear Amazons yelling on the street as they raced towards the sound.

"We did it." He said quietly as he turned around and smiled at her.

Fear seized her heart and she shook her head strongly as she pointed behind him. "Behind you!" She called out as Shona stepped out into view behind him. The young Amazon had a bladed weapon in her hand. Shona was trying hard to look confident, but she could see the fear in the Amazon's eyes.

Ranma cursed and spun around again into a fighting stance in front of her. "Where's the Old Ghoul?" He demanded.

Shona gazed at him in silence for a moment. Nabiki could tell by the slight tremor in Shona's hands, and the nervous twitches Shona was making with her body, that the Amazon didn't expect to survive the upcoming fight.

"Stupid boy ... h-honored E-Elder k-know you here come. S-Sisters tell. S-School E-Elder at g-gone. H-Here u-us stay. G-Girl we must k-kill, t-take you. Home go." Shona said in a shaking voice. Nabiki could tell the speech had been intended to intimidate him, but the delivery of it had clearly shown who was actually afraid.

Ranma growled as Shona snapped her fingers after fumbling them for a bit, and two more Amazons stepped into view. They were the ones who had attacked them after Miso had stopped their assault at the school. One of the Amazons was still wearing a black armband, while the other was still wearing a white armband. Like Shona, they were clearly more than an average Amazon. None of them were on Shampoo's level. But they didn't need to be. A weapon that killed less efficiently than another weapons, still killed.

"S-Say y-you—" Shona started to say, but she clamped her mouth shut and grunted in surprise when Ranma exploded into motion to meet the sudden charge of the armband girls. Nabiki didn't think that had been part of the plan Shona had been expecting.

He raced forward and kicked sharply at Shona as he parried the strikes from the armband girls. Shona was forced to step backwards rapidly. As soon as Shona was out of range he pivoted and grabbed the wrist of black armband as the Amazon punched at him. Without wasting any motion he yanked black armband towards himself, and threw the Amazon behind him to crash into white armband who was also attacking.

As they untangled themselves, Shona jumped back into the fray and tried to push him back towards the two armband wearing Amazons. He danced back just a little and it seemed like Shona might succeed, until he pivoted at the last moment and spun to the left as he whipped his body around in a tight arc and lashed out with a hooking kick that caught Shona in the back and launched her forward to slam into black armband who was in the process of trying to punch him.

Nabiki was afraid. She was breathing heavily and wincing as they fought. She wasn't afraid for herself, although she was aware of the danger she was in. She was afraid for him. Shona and the two armband girls seemed to be the best fighters the Amazons had who were willing to attack him. She had to admit, they were pretty good. They wouldn't be good enough to beat him in a fair fight. But, only one of them needed to get lucky just once, and it would be all over.

She was starting to see red at the edges of her vision as her fear and anger grew as she watched them fight. She was still holding on tight to what she still thought of as her courage, which Ranma called Ki. She hadn't let go ever since they had set out from home. Now she was starting to _pull_ on the energy inside herself. She was drawing on the energy to fortify herself. That energy was her birthright as a Tendo and a former student of the Tendo School of Anything Goes Martial Arts. She didn't really know how to control or use the energy, but she felt better holding on to it.

As she watched, Ranma whipped around and slammed a back-knuckle strike into white armband's temple and dropped her prone to the rooftop. He then hopped to the side and dodged a weapon strike from black armband. He danced back again and got out of the way of a kick from Shona. Then black armband surged forward and tried to hit him again with an overhead weapon strike. Ranma sidestepped and slipped into black armband's stance smoothly and took her balance. As black armband tried to recover, Ranma stepped to the side and pushed the Amazon hard, right into the path of Shona's next kick.

Black armband went sailing over the edge of the roof with a surprised yell. Ranma pivoted and just barely managed to catch Shona's sword arm as she swung at him in what looked to Nabiki like a lethal strike.

Nabiki winced as the blade of Shona's weapon got within centimeters of his face. He backed up a few steps and tried to reposition himself. Panic seized her heart. _He's lost track of his position!_ She thought to herself in a panic as she took a hesitant step towards him as he backed slowly to the edge of the roof as Shona pressed him hard.

She wanted to call out a warning to him, but she was afraid that if she did it would distract him just enough that Shona might be able to get through his guard. With Shona's weapon literally centimeters away from his face, she didn't dare.

It was weird that the fighting was happening in silence. Aside from the occasional grunt of pain and the sounds of their breathing, and their feet on the clay tiles of the roof, nobody was making any sound. It wasn't like it was in the movies, or even most martial arts schools. The fighters weren't fighting for show, they were doing their best to hurt each other and win the fight, and yelling wasn't part of any of their efforts.

White armband surged to her feet and rejoined the fight with a dizzy shake of her head as she attacked from his periphery. Ranma darted to the side as he tried to fight both of the Amazons. She could tell he was tired. His movements were just a little more sluggish than usual, his footsteps were just a bit heavier. Nabiki was dancing from foot to foot, anxiously wishing she could help.

Ranma pivoted to the left and locked his wrists together into an X-block as Shona tried an overhanded swing with her weapon. He then twisted his hands so his right hand dropped down and grabbed Shona's wrist while his left slid up the Amazon's forearm. He swung his arms to the right in a strong arc as he twisted his hands and hips in unison. Shona was thrown hard to his right, as the Amazon lost control of her weapon.

She wanted to cheer, but bit her tongue instead. Now was not the time to distract him. Her happiness faded almost immediately as white armband ran up quickly behind him and landed a solid strike to the back of his head. He stumbled forward on shaky legs and pivoted into a rear elbow strike with his left arm that white armband blocked. Before his left arm had even finished moving he shot out a lightning quick series of punches using his _Chestnut Fist_ technique to the Amazon's solar plexus. The Amazon gasped and sank to her knees just as Shona recovered and jumped into a kick to his head.

He pulled his head back quickly and dodged the kick but failed to dodge the followup punch Shona threw at his head as she landed. He staggered back as Shona laid into him heavily, not giving him a moment's pause to recover his defenses. He was stepping rapidly back away from Nabiki and towards the edge of the roof. As Shona drove him back, white armband picked herself up from the roof again and ran to join her sister in fighting him.

A strangled warning shout managed to escape Nabiki's lips in the form of a small yelp as she fought her urge to yell out to him to warn him. She was afraid he wouldn't hear her words, but would only hear her panicked tone of voice and he would react to that by trying to rush to her rescue, opening him up to further attack.

However, she couldn't stop herself from walking towards the fight with increasing speed. Her own fear and desire to help him was overpowering her sense of self preservation. The redness was creeping further into her vision.

She felt a strong urge inside herself to do something, and her own limited training and knowledge of the Art were coming together and pushing her to act. The dragon inside her was growling as it strained to help her focus. She reached down further into herself and focused the power she was pulling on.

Ranma danced to the side of Shona's attacks and grabbed white armband's outstretched arm as the Amazon punched at him. He yanked the Amazon in front of himself and used her as a shield against Shona. Shona didn't hesitate, she simply attacked through her sister. It was a tactic Ranma probably hadn't been expecting.

As white armband crumpled back to the roof, having been kicked in three places, Shona managed to land two solid hits to him. One hit him in his gut and jerked his head forward. The second one hit him solidly in his temple. Nabiki started to run as she tasted blood in her mouth and red flashed across her vision.

 _Oh no, oh no, oh no!_ She screamed to herself as she raced to help him. He slumped backwards and started to fall back off the roof. A strange sensation she had only seen in movies settled over her. The world was suddenly silent, and things were moving in slow motion. She could hear the sound of her own breathing. She could hear the blood thundering in her ears. She _pulled_ on the power inside herself, and it jumped at her call and surged out of her body and wrapped itself around her as she ran to him.

She grit her teeth and balled her hands into fists as Ranma fell over the side of the roof. He managed to catch the edge with one hand, and yelled out in pain as he wrenched his shoulder as he stopped his fall. Shona raised her weapon with a wicked smile curving the edge of her mouth up. The Amazon most likely intended to wound him enough to prevent him from fighting them any more.

 _Not again, not again, not again!_ She chanted to herself as her world focused down to just Shona. " **NO!** " Nabiki screamed as time came to a standstill and she switched from pulling on the power inside herself, and _pushed_ that same power with every gram of her strength as she punched towards the back of Shona's head. She saw a shimmering mote of light dance on her hand a moment before something exploded around her and pulsed out from her in every direction and the dragon inside her roared!

She slammed her body down to the roof and slid the last half meter to the edge and reached desperately down for Ranma ... but he wasn't there.

"Oh no." She whispered to herself as the redness invaded her vision more. She stood up, and turned to fight as she looked at the world through a blood-red haze. She knew she was about to die, but she no longer cared, she would take at least some of t—

"Kiki!" Ranma's voice sounded from above her. She looked up to find him landing on top of the chimney. He looked panicked. He jumped down from the chimney and raced over to her.

The amount of relief that flooded into her was beyond anyone's ability to describe. There was no language on Earth that could properly describe the intense surge of happiness and release that hit her when she heard his voice, alive, and coming back to her.

Her body shook as she opened her mouth to yell for him, but only a sob managed to escape. He reached her and wrapped her up in his strong arms and hugged her so tightly she thought for sure her ribs were creaking. He released her a moment later and pushed her back at arm's length and looked at her with wide eyes.

"How did you ... what did you ... Nabiki ... you ..." He stammered as he looked her up and down with wide eyes. She looked down and saw the flickering remains of a ghostly battle aura that was quickly dying out. It had been red. The same color as Akane's, when her sister was angry. She looked at herself and saw that her clothing was torn, and smoke was swirling around both of them. The air around them was alive with power. She could feel blood trickling down the side of her face from several cuts, and she still tasted blood in her mouth from her lower lip she had bitten into. She didn't care.

"You're alive." She whispered as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Yeah ... I'm alive. ... holy crap, Nabiki...what did you do?" He asked in wonder.

She looked around blankly and saw Shona slumped down on the roof, as was white armband. Both Amazons seemed to be already stirring awake though. There was no sign of black armband. She looked back up at him. "Well ... I am my daddy's daughter." She said with a small shrug and an even smaller smile.

He blinked at her in surprise, and smiled nervously. "We really need to talk about your trainin' when this is all over." He said as he stepped forward and grasped her hand. "But right now, we need ta get off this roof, and go find the Old Ghoul." He said with urgency in his voice.

She allowed him to pull her forward several steps, then stopped walking and looked at him in concern. She could tell he was limping from his gait, and she could _feel_ how tired he was.

"You need to rest first." She said sternly.

He shook his head. "No time. We gotta—" He stopped and looked over his shoulder. She heard it too. It sounded like quite a few of the Amazons were headed their way. She was sure they had seen and heard the fight. Without another word, Ranma grabbed her and leaped off the roof. She squeezed her eyes shut and begged fate to let him hold out a little longer.

They landed at the street level in the alley between buildings, and surprised black armband who looked like she had been in the process of jumping back up to the roof. Ranma didn't hesitate. He leaped strongly towards the Amazon and kicked her hard in the head. The Amazon was launched across the alley and slammed into the wall. As black armband slumped to the street, unconscious, Ranma started to run while carrying her.

It looked different when she was part of it, but she knew he was moving so fast, he was blurring. He ran for blocks while carrying her. She could tell by the landscape whipping by, that he was trying to get to the school. But he kept veering away from the school to go around large groups of the Amazons, who appeared to have stationed themselves at critical junctions leading to the school.

***

Eventually, after about a quarter hour, he paused and set her down in a small alcove behind a building. He leaned heavily up against the wall, pressed his hands up to his eyes, and tried to control his breathing. She could tell he was afraid. She could also tell he was exhausted.

"You all right?" She asked him, worried.

He nodded slowly, but didn't say anything. He was gulping air and clearly trying to recover some of his endurance. She couldn't even imagine the amount of strength it required for him to run like he had been running, while carrying her, for as long as he had been. She watched in slowly growing fear as he slumped down to the street. He appeared to be almost falling asleep. She wanted to let him rest, but she could hear the Amazons getting closer to them. They had to keep moving.

"On your feet, Saotome." She urged him as she stepped forward and shook his shoulder gently. She wasn't strong enough to carry him. They needed to hide for a little bit so he could recover. But they couldn't do it where they were, so he had to stand up. She held her hand down to him.

He looked up at her with exhaustion written across his face, but nodded and took her hand and allowed her to pull him up. Unlike in the past, he actually did put some of his weight into it when she pulled. He was reaching his limit.

She smiled a shaky smile at him and tried to bolster him. "You are one of the strongest people I know, Ranma. You can do this, I know you can." She whispered to him.

He was still gulping air into greedy lungs and looked at her with a haunted expression, but nodded. She could tell that his mind was shutting down, and he was running on almost pure instinct. He would be able to fight, but the higher order functions of his mind that were responsible for planning and strategy, were being overridden by his survival instincts right now. He hadn't _whited out_ yet, but he was close. It was up to her to get them to safety to allow him to recover.

She steeled herself as best she could and pulled even more strongly on her Ki to fuel herself. She didn't focus it into a battle aura, because she didn't want to draw attention to them. But she could at least use her Ki to help keep herself going. She knew he had been doing that for hours now. If he could do it, she could as well.

She took his hand and pulled him gently to follow her. She paused almost immediately when she heard something across the street. She didn't know if it was because she was actively using her Ki, or if it was because she was just growing accustomed to listening for such signs, but she was sure the sound she had heard was of an Amazon creeping around on the rooftop across the street from them.

Ranma would probably be able to fight off one of them without too much trouble. But if the Amazon managed to summon the rest of them, they would be in real trouble. She held her hand up to Ranma in a closed fist to signal him to wait as she listened for sounds from the Amazon. Ranma just stood mutely behind her and waited. He was clearly nearing his limit if he was relying on her to navigate them to safety while the Amazons hunted for them.

Eventually, the sounds from across the street receded enough that she felt it was safe to creep further away from where she was fairly sure the Amazon was, and put more distance between them. She grasped Ranma's hand tightly, and wished she had a way to give him some of her energy.

She thought about that and thought about _pushing_ her own energy into him. She looked at him and gave him a tight smile to encourage him. Oddly, as she stood there with him, wishing she could send him some of her energy, she could swear she felt something weird happening between the connection between them they shared as they held hands.

Ranma stood up a tiny fraction of a millimeter taller for a moment and looked at her with eyes that were slightly less glassy. She was sure his own superhuman healing and metabolism were just kicking in, but still, it was fun to imagine that she could send him some of her own energy. That was a connection with him she would love to have.

When she was fairly sure the Amazon across the street had moved on, she yanked on his hand and pulled him to follow her. He did so with stumbling steps. She could tell his endurance would only last a little longer. She ducked around corners, and went up and down stairs with him following behind her with increasingly heavy footsteps.

When she was fairly certain nobody had followed them, she pulled him under the concrete staircase of a nearby building and led him to the back corner where it was damp and smelled of old water, and most importantly, where it was dark and hard to see. In the shadows she crouched down with him next to her, and whispered to him. "Sit. Rest."

The fact that he didn't argue with her, and instead immediately sat down where he had been crouching, spoke volumes about how tired he must be.

"You're going to be okay, Ranma." She whispered to him as she sat next to him and huddled with her arms around her knees.

He nodded but didn't say anything. She could tell he was trying to recover his strength as fast as he could. She reached out and stroked his chin with the palm of her hand gently. He looked over at her with tired eyes.

"Thank you." She whispered to him.

"Fer whu?" He asked in an exhausted whisper.

"For everything. For protecting my family, for protecting me, for caring. I know you don't have to do what you are doing. It isn't your duty. Nobody can make you do it. I know you are doing it because you care. I want you to know that, whatever happens, I understand the sacrifice you are making for us, and I appreciate it. I am in the favors business Ranma, I know full well what the scope of what you are doing for us is." She said with tears in her eyes as she held his chin in her hand.

He looked down in embarrassment and nodded. Then he leaned into her hand with his cheek and closed his eyes and breathed deeply as he relaxed a little bit. He opened his eyes a few moments later, and looked a lot better. She could tell that his superhuman healing and endurance were already rapidly bringing him back from the brink.

***

They set out again just a short fifteen minutes later. She had sat patiently with him and watched and waited as his unbelievable healing ability showed itself and he recovered before her eyes. He wasn't at one hundred percent again, but he was back in the high eighties even low nineties, for sure. He smiled at her reassuringly as he lead her weaving through alleyways and over and under buildings, trees, and even moving vehicles as they made their way slowly to the school.

They slipped on to the school grounds near the rear of the school. Very close to the same spot by the old equipment shed the Amazons had ambushed her and Akane.

He stepped forward boldly to leave the cover of the trees they were standing amid, but she slapped a hand on his arm and held him back.

"Come on, Ranma. Think. Shona told us the old woman was here. There was no way that was an accident. This has to be a trap." She whispered to him nervously as she scanned the school grounds looking for signs of the Amazons.

He turned back to her with wide eyes. "Then ... whadda we do?" He asked.

She sighed. It was a good question. Their mission was to seek out the Joketsuzoku elder, confront her, and end the conflict. They couldn't very well do that and avoid her. "I ... I guess we go anyway." She said hesitantly.

He nodded and stepped forward again. She lashed her hand out again and yanked him back again. He looked back with surprise on his face. "Just ... just be careful, all right?" She asked.

He nodded and smiled as he stepped forward again. She followed behind him without stopping him again. "Where do you think she is?" She whispered to him. He shrugged in response as they walked across the deserted school grounds. Ranma was keeping a fair distance away from the school buildings. She was sure he wanted to avoid tight spaces if he could help it.

The made their way across the grass of the sports fields, and down the dip in the ground formed by the natural slope of the hill one of the sports fields had been built next to, which provided a natural place for people to sit and watch the games.

As they descended the slope of the hill, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck raise, and goosebumps invaded her exposed skin. She looked over at him in alarm and he nodded. "I feel it too." He said quietly.

"Can we—" She started to ask as they reached the bottom of the slope.

He shook his head. "No, they're surrounding us. I think we found the trap." He said quietly as they walked towards the center of the sports field.

"Well, that didn't take long." She said with a sigh.

"Let's run for i—" He began to say.

"Welcome, grandson-in-law. Long time, no see." The booming voice of Shampoo's great grandmother interrupted him. It sounded like it was coming over a loudspeaker. They looked around for her, but didn't see her. Ranma stepped in front of her anyway and put a hand on her like he always did when he defended her during a fight.

"Come out and fight, you Old Ghoul!" He shouted.

There was silence for a moment, then the old woman's voice sounded again more clearly as she hopped into view at the top of the hill they had just descended. "Very well, grandson-in-law. If you insist." The old woman said as she hopped to the apex of the hill, perched on her staff as she usually was.

Shampoo walked into view a moment later. She had her hands clasped tightly in front of herself, and her gaze locked firmly on her feet. She looked miserable.

"I'm sick 'n tired of all of this! This ends, today!" Ranma yelled angrily.

"Oh, I agree. I think we've shown remarkable restraint up to this point, but I grow tired of this little battle of wills as well, grandson-in-law. I am not going to allow you to flaunt our laws. Thousands of years of Chinese Amazon history cannot simply be ignored because you don't like our laws." The old woman said coldly.

Nabiki could tell that Shampoo's elder was angry. She had seen that kind of icy-cold resolve many times while negotiating in the past. The old woman was acting civilly, but inside, Shampoo's great-grandmother was seething. She could feel a very cold aura radiating from the old woman. She was sure Ranma felt it too.

"I never asked for this. You can take your laws and stuff 'em!" Ranma growled back angrily.

"Oh, come now, don't be ridiculous. You most certainly have asked for this. You came to our country without speaking the language. You stole the prize for a contest you had no rights to. You defeated the rightful winner of that prize, and then ran like a coward afterward. Then you defeated her again in your male form and invoked one of our oldest laws, and you have spent the last several months stringing her along. As the old saying goes, stay out of the bear cave, if you don't want to meet any bears." The elder Joketsuzoku said in a calm and cold voice.

"Yeah, all right, whatever. I'm sorry about that stuff, I didn't know, all right?" Ranma said somewhat less angrily.

"We are well past apologies at this point, young man. Your options are simple. Come with me, now, back to China, and marry Shampoo as the law commands. Or, continue to fight with us until you eventually lose, and we hobble you and haul you off to China anyway, without any dignity at all." The old woman said sternly.

"If that's the way ya want it, then fine. Come and get me!" Ranma yelled confidently.

Shampoo's great-grandmother smirked and shook her head as she waved a hand forward and Shona and the two armband girls walked into view above the crest of the hill. Well, it looked like some of them were limping a bit, but they were working not to show it. Nabiki took some small solace in that fact.

"Young fool. You still haven't earned the right to face me unrestrained in battle. They will deal with you." Was all the Amazon Elder said before she snapped her fingers and Shona and the others raced down the hill towards them. Behind them more and more Amazons ran into view and followed their leaders down the hill.

"Run?" She asked Ranma.

"Run." He confirmed under his breath as he reached back for her and turned them both ... and swore. Standing behind them was at least several dozen Amazons who had quietly taken up positions behind them while he had argued with the Amazons. They'd formed a human wall blocking their escape.

"Ranma!" She yelled in a panic as she felt him tighten his arm around her in fear. "Can you—" She started to ask.

"To Nabiki Tendo!" Kuno's voice interrupted her as he ran down the adjacent side of the hill in between the two groups of Amazons. Behind him the entirety of the Kendo club was following him, all of them were wielding their standard wooden bokens.

"Down!" Ranma yelled as he shoved her roughly to the ground and dropped her under the swinging blade of a sword swipe that had been aimed at her as Shona and the rest of the Amazons reached them, and Ranma began to fight.

He stood over her, and radiated calm, efficient, deadly skill. He wasn't striking to kill, but she could tell his patience was leaving him rapidly. More and more of the Amazons launched themselves at him from every direction, and he fought them all as he stood over her, never giving a centimeter. They quickly learned that to hurt him, all they had to do was target her, because he would take the hit for her, every time. He was bleeding from several cuts in his shirt now.

"STOP! PLEASE! ... STOP!" She yelled, but they ignored her.

A moment later Kuno arrived and knocked several of the Amazons away from Ranma. She looked up at him in surprise as he yelled something incoherent then stood back to back with Ranma. Together they were able to hold the onslaught off a little better. She watched the rest of the Kendo club members rush the field while yelling to rally on Ranma.

 _They don't realize that this isn't just a usual school yard fight._ Nabiki thought to herself as she winced while she observed several of them go down clutching bloody wounds to their shoulders and arms with bewildered looks on their faces. Luckily for them, the Amazons clearly didn't want to waste time on anything but their main target. They formed up into a fighting group and stopped attacking from multiple directions.

She scanned the horizon hopefully, looking for Miso. Tofu's master had said that she would help them if they were on school grounds, hadn't she?

She didn't see Miso. She did see the old ghoul standing at the top of the hill that led down to the field. The old woman was perched on her staff as per usual, and watched the fight with dispassionate eyes, like a General. Shampoo stood next to her grandmother looking down at her feet and miserable. Nabiki growled with frustration.

Some of the Kendoists called out to Kuno as they reached Kuno and Ranma and took up stances around them. "What do we do, captain?"

Kuno returned their yell calmly. "You will hold your ground. Fight! Fight to the last man! For the glory of Akane Tendo!"

She would have rolled her eyes at his hyperbole, and his never-ending attempts to impress her little sister. But, at the moment, she was too busy being afraid and also wracking her brain trying to figure out a way out of the mess they were in. Her eyes were drawn to the elder Joketsuzoku when she caught movement in that area. She looked up again, but didn't see Miso arriving to turn the tide in their favor. Instead she saw Shampoo's great grandmother sneer with derision and turn to hop away from the battle. Shampoo remained behind, still staring forlornly at her feet.

Her attention was yanked back to the battle raging around her as Kendoists started dropping left and right as the Amazons systematically pushed through them to get to Ranma and herself.

Kuno went down a moment after the last of his clubmates went down with a grunt of pain. She saw Ranma's eyes dart back to register the change in the battle. He shifted his stance slightly so he was able to pivot better in any direction, and kept fighting. She could tell by how he was clenching his muscles, he was about to do something desperate.

"Nabiki, get ready, I'm gonna—" He started to yell, but stopped as he grunted in surprise when one of the Amazons tackled him around his ankles. He kicked the Amazon off, but two more jumped on his legs and wrapped themselves around him as best they could as he tried to kick them off.

More and more Amazons ran forward while Shona waved them on. They didn't try to fight him, they just threw themselves on him, and grabbed on to him wherever they could. It took him a moment to realize the danger they represented.

She saw panic cross his face when he realized what the Amazons were doing, and he started frantically trying to peel them off in any way he could. He was using the close-quarters techniques he had refrained from using against Riko yesterday. But there were just too many of them. Her own rough estimates put their numbers well north of thirty. For every two or three he would knock off, four or five would pile on while he was doing that and pull him further away from her. A moment later he was clearly having trouble moving, and a moment after that he could no longer strike. He was straining mightily against their hold on him though. She could see that he was gathering power inside himself.

She was anxiously glancing at him and the rest of the Amazons on the field. Most of them were still focused on him. But a few were watching her carefully now. She licked her lips nervously as ice water smashed into her veins, and she tried to decide what to do next. She wouldn't be able to pull the Amazons off him, but she also wouldn't make it far if she tried to run.

She unconsciously stepped towards him. It was fatalistic, but she felt that if she was going to die, she would rather do it with him, than running for her life and being hunted like an animal. He looked towards her in a panic as he strained harder to break free.

She smiled softly to him. She wanted him to know she didn't blame him. He'd fought hard for her and her family. She walked another step closer to him, then paused when his eyes shifted from her to something behind her. Against her better judgment she turned slightly to look over her shoulder to see what he was looking at. She sighed. It was black armband, one of the elite ones. The Amazon was grinning at her and lazily swinging a wooden stick with some kind of a wicked looking hook on the end of it.

She closed her eyes and pulled in a deep calming breath. If she was killed, then so be it. But she wouldn't show fear. Instead, she would show Ranma that she didn't blame him. She turned back to him, and smiled for him as she took another step towards him. His eyes were wide with panic now, and she could see he was blazing with his yellow battle aura now. It was getting easier for her to see auras in general, especially his. But she knew she would have been able to see it at the moment even if she'd had no formal training on seeing them.

She could feel how scared he was, and that he was putting everything he had into trying to break free. She reached her hand towards him as she took another step forward. She knew it was an empty gesture, as he couldn't reach back for her at the moment, because they were literally being pulled apart. But she still wanted to show him how she felt.

She knew black armband had to be approaching her from behind, and that she could die at any moment. But she wasn't concerned about that. She was concerned with him blaming himself for her death. She shook her head softly and smiled for him again. She wanted to—

She never got to finish the thought as Ranma's eyes widened in fear as he looked behind her again, and opened his mouth to yell. She closed her eyes and waited for it to happen. Instead she felt a thunderous impact as someone jumped right on top of her and knocked her to the ground while shouting _NO_ in Chinese. Whoever it was, was powerful. Hope surged in her heart and she looked up hoping to see Miso.

She opened her eyes and was surprised to see Shampoo standing literally right over her. Up close, she could see that the young Amazon warrior was bloodied and dirty, but Shampoo had a fire in her eyes she hadn't ever seen before. Shampoo was boiling with a battle aura. It felt cold and hot at the same time, and she could feel the confliction Shampoo herself had to be feeling in that aura.

"不要杀，不！[1]" Shampoo shouted in a strong voice as the young warrior flexed her muscles and held black armband's weapon immobile above her.

Black armband, was straining mightily against her. "叛徒、滚开！[2]" Black armband shouted through grit teeth.

"决不！[3]" Shampoo shouted back in defiance as the strongest Amazon from Nyucheizu slowly won the fight with black armband and pushed the weapon away from her.

Shampoo had been smiling as she won the struggle, but the smile fled her face as she glanced over her shoulder quickly and scowled. She followed Shampoo's gaze and just had enough time to gasp as her own eyes found the threat from white armband as the other elite Amazon stabbed down at her with a spear.

She flinched back and tried to scoot out of the way, but backed up into Shampoo's leg. She heard an impact sound like someone slapping a fish against a counter top. She squeezed her eyes open and found Shampoo straining between the two Amazons now. Shampoo had shifted herself so that her left hand was holding the weapon of black armband, and her right hand was now holding the spear of white armband.

"不要杀了这个，不要！[4]" Shampoo yelled again, forbidding them from killing her.

"你什么意思？这是命令！[5]" White armband shouted back with surprise on her face.

"她是一个叛徒。杀了她！[6]" Black armband growled out the order to attack Shampoo. White armband looked at black armband with wide eyes, then back to Shampoo who met her gaze coldly, and without flinching away.

While the Amazons were trying to stare each other down, she looked over at Ranma. He was still struggling to break free of the Amazons holding him down. He had his hands free now, and he was fighting viciously to free himself. She wasn't sure, but she thought she could hear bones cracking as he fought. He didn't have the usual playful expression on his face when he sparred. He looked deadly serious.

She looked back up at Shampoo then back to Ranma. It was a stalemate. The elites couldn't get through Shampoo to get to her, but Shampoo didn't seem to be strong enough to stop both of them at once.

She looked back over to Ranma, and froze. Shona was in the way. Shampoo's older sister was walking towards them with a sword in her hand, and a determined expression on her face. Shampoo growled and shifted her stance and visibly prepared to fight.

She looked back over at Ranma, and saw that he had finally managed to break away from the horde attacking him. He was sprinting over towards her with his mouth pulled down in a grim frown. He had death in his eyes again. Shona raised her sword. She didn't think he would arrive in time.

She saw Shampoo's eyes dart in Ranma's direction, then to Shona, and to the two elites she was still holding immobile on either side of herself. Then Shampoo blurred into motion. Instead of attacking though, Shampoo shoved the weapons she was holding out towards Shona, then Shampoo dropped down over her and tackled her to the ground. Shampoo wrapped her arms and legs around her, and tucked her own head in next to hers and shielded her as best she could with her own body. The young Amazon smelled like stale sweat. She was sure some of that was fear, and the rest was the long week they had both been having.

She heard Shona yell something, then she felt Ranma arrive. She knew it was him both because she could sense him, and also because the shock waves from his strikes at full power were something she recognized now. A moment later Shampoo lifted herself up off of her, and stood to the side.

Nabiki gazed out at the battlefield and saw Shona and the two elites dusting themselves off as they stood up. Ranma was now standing over her, but he wasn't fighting at the moment as the Amazons regrouped. Most of the rank and file Amazons were still on their feet, and they were already heading back in their direction.

Ranma risked a look back at Shampoo and asked a simple question. "Why?"

Shampoo looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "Because you is love her." Shampoo said sadly. 

Ranma stepped backwards and reached his hand down for her without looking back. She reached up and took his hand and he pulled her to her feet immediately. His hand was shaking. He continued to step backwards as the Amazons ran towards them.

"We gotta get outta here, get ready ta—"

He froze as a blur of motion streaked in front of them, and an explosion shook the ground a moment later.

She looked over his shoulder and saw dust clearing around a new crater in the ground, right in front of them. Standing at the center of it was Ryoga. His eyes were blazing with anger as he moved backwards to shield them as he raised his fighting umbrella to deflect weapons thrown at them, and answered them with thrown weapons of his own.

"Ryoga, what're ya—"

"Get outta here man, I'll take care of them!" Ryoga yelled, cutting him off.

Ranma hesitated. She knew he hated to run from a fight, and with Ryoga helping there was a much better chance that they could win.

Ryoga arrived to stand right in front of them, and pivoted for a half second and punched Ranma hard in the face before he turned back to face the Amazons.

"Go! Get out of here! Now! I'll hold them off!"

"Ryoga, I—"

"I'm not asking you! Don't make me smack you again. Go! Get out of here, now! Go go go!" Ryoga yelled as he backpedaled under the fierce onslaught of the combined forces of the Amazons still on their feet. He kicked backwards and hit Ranma in the chest which forced him to take a step back, and seemed to snap him out of his reverie.

"Ryoga ... thanks man, I—"

" **GO!** " Ryoga yelled back in a straining voice.

Ranma didn't say anything further, he pivoted and grabbed her and leaped clear of the fight. She looked down as he did so and saw Shampoo standing to the side of the fight, neither raising her hands to assist her sisters, or to help them any further. Shampoo watched them go with an unreadable expression on her face.

Unfortunately, Ryoga wasn't able to hold back that many of the Amazons. Now that she and Ranma weren't a stationary target on the ground, most of the Amazons had disengaged from the fight with Ryoga and were sprinting after them in hot pursuit.

The Amazons started to get ahead of them, and throw weapons at them, which slowed Ranma down even more than he was being slowed by carrying her. They landed on the opposite end of the field, and Ranma positioned her so that she was behind him again as he allowed some of the Amazons to catch them. His hands and feet blurred out and every time he touched an Amazon, they dropped to the ground. She could tell his patience was almost gone just by looking at the Amazons when they hit the ground. Most of them were either heavily bruised or bleeding where he'd hit them. And some of them clearly had broken arms and legs as well. She sucked cold air in past clenched teeth nervously as she stood behind him and watched him fight.

The bulk of the Amazons arrived again a moment later, led by Shona. Ryoga surged ahead of them and took up a position next to Ranma. The eternal lost boy looked surprised.

"Hey man." Ranma said to him by way of greeting. She could tell Ranma was tired.

"Hey yourself." Ryoga shot back.

"Not that I'm complain' or nothin', but ... what are you doin' here?" Ranma asked as they fought.

Ryoga shrugged. "I came by the house to visit Akane. She asked me to come help protect her sister ... well, once she was able to get those soldiers to let me in the gate. Akane sounded really worried, so I had a taxi take me here so I was sure I wouldn't get lost."

Ranma nodded. "Thanks, man. If ... if I go down ... will you—"

"Of course I will, you idiot!" Ryoga cut him off. "Even if Akane hadn't sent me, you know I hate it when people bully the weak." Ryoga growled.

"Yeah, I know ya do man. Thanks." Ranma said as he clapped him on the shoulder.

"I still don't like you, Ranma." Ryoga growled in a way she could tell was an attempt to lighten the mood.

"I know." Ranma said grimly. He was clearly past the point of being able to joke while fighting.

The Amazons chose that moment to attack again en masse. They seemed more serious now. Ranma and Ryoga clearly out-classed all of the attackers on a one-to-one basis, but the numbers they were fighting still tipped the balance of power in favor of the Amazons.

She knew it was harder for them to fight than usual, because they had to more or less stay in place in order to protect her. She hated that she was so useless in a fight. She couldn't see much of the battle with them surrounding her. As the minutes passed, the attacks came with less frequency, but they got stronger.

A minute or so later, Ryoga went down. She saw two very fast motions from the Amazons as they darted in and converged on him heartbeats apart. He turned just enough one way to meet the first one, then the second one dropped him. She didn't see how he had been hit. He hit the ground hard, and didn't get up.

She looked up at Ranma in a panic. Could he do it by himself?

Ranma looked ... scary. His battle aura was a towering inferno pouring off him in streams of power. His eyes were dark with hate, and his face was blank. He was clenching and unclenching his hands from fists into claws, and back again.

The Amazons left on their feet stopped moving for a moment. There were only three of them now. Shona, and the two elites. The strongest ones. Shampoo had followed her sisters at a distance, and was standing at the rear of the fight, watching, but not moving.

The three facing Ranma raised their weapons in a salute, then started darting around again. One darted in and moved past Ranma in a feint. She guessed it was a feint, because the Amazon didn't attack.

Ranma twisted slightly to meet a possible attack anyway...like Ryoga.

"Ranma!" She called out, to warn him. But it was too late, the second one was already moving towards his unprotected back.

But, Ranma didn't go down like Ryoga did. Instead, he pivoted and punched towards the second attacker. Black armband collapsed backwards from the punch to her face she had just run into.

She was about to cheer when Ranma suddenly shrank and changed to a red-head as white armband splashed him from the other side. White armband smiled at Ranma as she dropped the bottle of water she had used to splash him. Ranma growled.

Ranma wiped the smirk off white armband's face a moment later by blurring into motion and engaging the Amazon in a fierce fight. If anything, it seemed to make it easier to fight the Amazons when he was female. Nabiki watched nervously as both Shampoo and Shona started walking forward while he was distracted with white armband. Shona was looking directly at her with determination in her eyes. Shampoo had her eyes locked on Ranma, and desperation written across her face.

Shona started to sprint towards her and yelled out a battle cry as she raised her sword right as Ranma dropped white armband to the ground.

She _felt_ Ranma's control break. His normally warm battle aura changed to icy cold and burst out from him like a dam breaking. A terrible flood of icy cold power swept over the field. Her eyes darted from Shona over to him, and she sucked in air between her teeth as fear flooded her body. Ranma still had death in his eyes.

She watched him as he raced to intercept Shona. She knew he would get to Shona before the Amazon reached her. He didn't yell. He didn't call out a warning. He just ran towards Shona with a cold and deadly aura radiating from him.

 _Oh no! It's happening, he's lost control!_ She thought, terrified to see what he would do. She didn't want to die, but she didn't want Ranma to become a killer either. She opened her mouth to shout a warning to Shona. But no sound came out. She couldn't bring herself to essentially betray Ranma, even if her intentions were honorable.

She darted her eyes back to him as he raced towards Shona. His eyes had changed. She didn't see any of his usual restraint in his eyes anymore — she saw hate, and emptiness. He wasn't himself anymore. Images of Akane standing over Kodachi and a defeated Amazon with those same eyes, flashed through her mind.

 _If he's out of control ... there's no telling what he'll do_. She thought in a panic. _Oh, Ranma ... Ranma ... no!_ She thought in despair as he stepped in front of her and turned his back to her as he surged forward and attacked Shona before Shona could react to the change in conditions. She had never seen him attack before, only defend.

Shona tried to backpedal but stumbled and only succeeded in slowing herself down. Ranma stepped hard into Shona's stance as the Amazon raised her right hand to swing her weapon. He punched the Amazon sharply in the throat with his right hand clenched in a vertical fist as his left hand slammed into Shona's right biceps muscle. The sword clattered to the ground as the nerves in the Amazon's sword-arm went dead. Ranma smoothly shifted his stance so his left leg locked straight, and his right leg twisted towards Shona as he bent the knee strongly. At the same time he punched hard with his left hand as he slapped his right hand into a positional check against Shona's still outstretched arm. Shona's own momentum carried her into the punch. The opposing forces of her momentum and his punch intensified the hit by an order of magnitude.

She heard Shona get the wind knocked out of her. Shona started gasping and choking as the Amazon tried to recover from the hit. Ranma smoothly transitioned from the punch and shifted his stance back to a neutral fighting stance as he surged to his left and brought his left hand up into a vicious chop back to the same point in Shona's biceps he had hit earlier. He stepped like he was going to step clear of Shona, then paused for a microsecond as he changed his tactic from the hardwired defensive motions his muscles remembered.

Nabiki stepped a bit to the side so she could see his face. It was calm, but his eyes were blank and unfocused as he looked through and past Shona.He calmly slid his left hand down to Shona's wrist and grabbed it before he twisted hard as he shook his own arm hard in a wave motion like he was shaking a rug while he walked forward to the side and took Shona's balance to lead her where he wanted her to go. Shona had no choice but to flip forward to take the pressure off her wrist, or it would break. She landed on her back and continued to choke and gasp as she struggled to breath.

Ranma then stepped across Shona and flipped her over while maintaining his hold on her wrist. He stepped on her ribs next to her shoulder as he held onto Shona's wrist and pulled her up with his other hand and twisted in concert with his main hand, locking Shona's wrist in place as he forced Shona's grip to swing with his while he forced Shona's fingers to stay pinned down to his own forearm, locking Shona's hand into a bent S-shape. Ranma then pushed down and pulled out, putting Shona into a wrist lock that looked painful. Shona had been trying to push herself up and out of the prone position she was in, but as soon as Ranma put his weight behind the lock, Shona collapsed to the ground and gasped in shock and pain. Her face changed from determined anger to surprise to pleading. Ranma's face stayed impassive.

"DIDN'T. I. TELL. YOU. ALL. THAT. NABIKI. WAS. **OFF LIMITS!** " Ranma said coldly as he increased the pressure and punctuated each word with a bit more of an increase of the pressure as his voice increased in volume with every word.

"N-no choice... i— is ... l-law..." Shona managed gasp out through the pain.

"I'm _so tired_ of this. What do I have to do to get you people to take me seriously? Do I have to make an example of one of you?" He asked in a quiet and deadly voice.

Nabiki was edging around them so she could see what was happening better. Shampoo was also moving too. She could see Shona's sister running towards them with alarm on her face. Shona's face was pressing into the ground as she squeezed her eyes shut tight from the pain. Ranma's face was strangely impassive as he looked down at Shona and kept her firmly locked in place. But his eyes ... his eyes were still burning with hate. As he talked about making an example out of one of them, he sounded calm and peaceful like he was discussing the weather. Ranma was whiting out. The thing she had been afraid of, was happening.

"Ranma ...." Nabiki said softly in a bit of a disapproving voice, hoping to snap him out of it.

Ranma didn't look away from what he was doing, but he did reply. "No, Nabiki. I'm done bein' nice. I've tried bein' nice. I've showed mercy. I've tried to reason with them. They don't listen. You ... you were right, I shoulda listened to you earlier about the rules of war. Eventually they're gonna manage to get to you or Akane or Kasumi when I'm not there, and your dad isn't there, and Doctor Tofu isn't there ... when nobody's there..." He trailed off sadly. Nabiki could tell that part of him was dying as he increased the pressure on Shona's wrist. Shona kicked the ground involuntarily as the pain increased and started breathing rapidly in panic.

"Ranma ... please.... " Nabiki begged him as she took a step towards him as tears streamed down her cheeks. "No Ranma. I was wrong. You were the one who was right. _It's your mercy that makes you better than them_! If you turn away from that, you can become as bad as they are. There has to be another way ... don't settle it like this ... not like this ... _not like this ... **please**_..."

"Airen ... please ... please not hurt sister. Please...?" Shampoo said softly as she arrived next to him and asked him in a pleading voice. Ranma ignored Shampoo.

Instead, Ranma looked over at her and whispered to her in a voice breaking with emotion. "If they get to you, Nabiki ... if they get to you ... **I won't be able to stop!** I will end all of them. It's ... it's better if I make an example out of one of 'em, than hafta do that, right?" He said in a weirdly detached way like he was talking about just another fight.

Lightning struck Nabiki's heart again and again as waves of emotion shook her. The dragon inside her was roaring.

 _I'll just know_.

Nabiki smiled tightly at him as tears streamed down her face and said after a moment's hesitation in a voice heavy with emotion she could barely control, "I ... I love you too, Ranma." She said as electric shivers ran down her spine from Ranma's words.

Ranma's eyes came a bit into focus at that, and he looked up at Nabiki with unshed tears of his own in his eyes, but he did not let go of his grip on Shona. "I can't, ... I can't let this continue." He said in a heavy, determined voice. It was his girl form voice, but that didn't diminish the weight of what he was saying. "I need to let them know I'm serious. They won't stop otherwise. I have to ... for you, Nabiki..." he started putting even more pressure on the lock. Shona was gasping sharply in pain in an increasingly frantic tempo. Nabiki could tell Shona would pass out soon, the young warrior was already going limp.

Shampoo surged forward and put her hands on his arm and tried to pull him back. The young Amazon warrior might as well have been pulling on a tree. He didn't move.

"Airen ... Airen ... PLEASE ... PLEASE NO! NO DO THIS!" Shampoo begged him as her knuckles turned white while she frantically pulled on his arm and tried to release her sister.

Nabiki was panicking.

 _What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?_ She asked herself as she hesitantly stepped forward a step, then paused. Ranma was whiting out, she knew how dangerous that was. She didn't think he would hurt her in that state, but she wasn't eager to test the theory.

"Help me, please!" Shampoo screamed to her as Ranma put even more pressure on the wrist lock, and Shona whimpered.

She looked over at Shampoo and nodded hesitantly. Shampoo had acted honorably during the entire ordeal. The young Chinese girl had done all she could to warn and help them, including willingly suffering punishment to defy her great grandmother, to try to protect her.

Nabiki took a risk and reached out and put her hand on Ranma's. "Please, Ranma. **Please**... there _has to be another way_. Don't give in to hate. The man I love doesn't hurt defeated opponents who are helpless on the ground. That's not our way, remember?"

Ranma focused sharply on Nabiki. He still hadn't let go of Shona. "You ... you love me? Really?" He whispered.

Nabiki nodded fiercely. This hadn't been the moment she would have chosen to tell him for real, but it felt right.

" **Of course I love you!** You didn't give me any choice, at all! You caught me and saved me that night, and you never let me go. I couldn't stop loving you if I wanted to! It doesn't matter that we aren't a perfect fit. You are the most wonderful person I have ever known. You're kind, and loyal, and sincere, and you _care_ about me. You would _never_ hurt me. You'd never abandon me. I would trust you with anything... _anything_ , Ranma! How could I _not_ love you?!" She said in a rising voice that was quickly reaching a feverish pitch while she clasped her hands together tightly and willed him to come back to her.

"But ... what about what you said ... about us bein' too different?" He asked in a shaking voice. His arms were shaking too, but not because of anything Shampoo was doing.

She smiled softly at him as she reached inside herself and found her courage as she stood on the battlefield her school had turned into while she tried to bring him back. The answer to his question seemed so simple now, she didn't understand why it hadn't been obvious to her earlier.

"Love is ... what we decide it is, Ranma. Nothing else matters. If I decide I love you, and you decide you love me, that's all that's required. Nothing else matters. I think that's ... the big mistake ... so many people make about love. They think it has to fit into a certain kind of category; they think it has to conform to their expectations; they think that it has to have a certain form or a certain set of events leading up to it. They're all idiots. Love is what two people decide it is, nothing more, and nothing less. Our love may look entirely different from other people's love. The shape of our love might be wildly different from someone else's. That doesn't make theirs better than ours, and it doesn't make ours better than theirs. It simply is." She said with confidence. It felt right to say the words.

"I ... I ... " Ranma whispered in a voice breaking with emotion. He hadn't moved to release Shona, but he hadn't pressed the attack either.

Nabiki took another risk and stepped closer to him and put her hands on his face, and traced his jaw gently with her fingers. "Please..." She whispered to him as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Ranma looked over at her, as emotions waged war across his face from determination to regret to guilt. "I ... I ..."

Nabiki decided to go for broke, she stepped even closer to him, and pressed herself against him gently as she stroked his hair and whispered to him gently. "Please ... please Ranma ... come back to me ... " She could feel the muscles in his smaller female arms shaking as he both strained to hold the lock, and to let go. "Please..." She whispered as she leaned down and cupped his chin in her hands, tipped his head back, and lay her cheek against his. "Stay the man I know you are, stay the man I love."

"I ... I ... " he said as he loosened his hold on Shona, "I ... l— ... all right, Nabiki." He whispered. He opened his top hand locking Shona's wrist in place, and released his other hand's grip on Shona's hand as he stepped to stand so he was placing himself between Nabiki and Shona.

Shona's arm fell down limply as she lay there unmoving and breathing heavily. Shona wasn't unconscious, but it was clear she wouldn't be moving again for a while. Shampoo dove down to the ground and pulled Shona's head into her lap and rocked back and forth with her as she called out softly to Shona in Mandarin, asking if she was all right while checking her vital signs.

Ranma slowly sank to his knees in front of Nabiki and wrapped his arms around her knees and hugged her tightly as his body shuddered. She smiled down at him and reached down gently to his chin and pulled him up. He rose to his feet and frantically pulled her closer to him like he needed to hold her to keep from falling.

Ranma stood as tall as he could in his female body and nuzzled his face into Nabiki's neck. She felt his lips kiss her neck once, twice then a third time as a dam seemed to break inside of him. She gasped as he pulled her down a little and kissed her on the lips desperately. She was taller than he was in his female form. She smiled into his kiss and returned it with equal enthusiasm.

She saw some tears glistening on his cheeks, he was clearly shaken. He had also obviously forgotten that he was a girl at the moment, but Nabiki didn't care. She kissed Ranma back just as desperately as he kissed her. She could feel his body shuddering, most likely from shock, as he kissed her. A few moments later Ranma pulled back from her and slowly turned back around to face Shona again.

His eyes hardened as he wiped the tears from his cheeks and crouched down next to Shona's head. Shampoo surged to her feet and took on a fighting stance, but Ranma held a hand up to pause her. He then leaned down and spoke to Shona in a quiet and deadly serious tone of voice. "Listen to me carefully ... I'm fair game, Nabiki's not. If you or anyone else from your tribe attacks her again, even Nabiki won't be able to stop me the next time. I'll destroy all of you. If _anyone_ from your tribe attacks any of the Tendos again, I'll go to China and wipe out your entire village. If any of you manage to hurt them, or God help you, take any of the Tendos away from me, your sufferin' will be **legendary**.

"I won't be responsible for what happens if you ignore this last warnin'. This is it, I don't have no more mercy in me. I don't have no more sympathy, or pity, either. I'm empty. All of you've drained it out of me. I'm officially at my limit. I don't care what I have to do to protect them all. Got it?! Everyone in the Tendo family is one hundred percent **OFF LIMITS!**

"I promise you, if you test me on this again, I will bring misery to you that you couldn't even dream of. At the end, you would pray for death. Tell the Old Ghoul that. Tell her to come face me. Now! I'm done with this." He said in a cold, remorseless voice. He then leaned down, grabbed Shona's chin roughly, pulled her face around so he could look her in the eyes, and then leaned in and kissed her on the cheek, just as Shampoo had done to him in China. It was the Kiss of Death.

Ranma then said something in Mandarin, which surprised her. "我没有说谎。"

 _I'm not lying?_ I wonder when he picked that up? She thought with respect. Shona shivered with dread and shrank away from Ranma in palpable fear.

"A-Airen..." Shampoo managed to gasp out in a strangled breath as Shampoo began to weep softly while she looked at Ranma as the terrible reality of what had happened in her name, fully settled on her. She sounded absolutely devastated. Intellectually, Nabiki felt sorry for her. Shampoo had only been doing what she had been raised and trained to do, same with Shona. In their eyes, what the Amazons had been doing wasn't even necessarily wrong. Neither of the Amazons could probably really understand why Ranma kept interfering with their tribe's laws.

Ranma focused on Shampoo and continued remorselessly as he stood up. "Go away, Shampoo, and take your sister with you. Go back to China. There's nuthin' for you here. _I'm sick of your tribe_. If you stay in Japan, stay away from me, and my family. I won't warn any of you again." Ranma said in the coldest voice Nabiki had ever heard him use. It had taken a lot to get Ranma to the point he was at now, and Nabiki was really afraid of what Ranma would do if any of them did push him again.

Ranma stepped back and looked at Shona with raw hate on his face for another moment. He then looped his arm around her protectively. It would have been somewhat comical if the situation wasn't so serious. Ranma in his female form was much smaller than Nabiki was. Seeing him standing in a defensive posture to protect her just looked weird to people who didn't know what Ranma could do.

"Let's go, Nabiki. Let's get you home." Ranma said warmly to her as he turned her to leave, keeping his arm around her.

Nabiki let herself be led away. She couldn't help herself from looking back once to see Shampoo's reaction. Shampoo was kneeling down next to Shona, who seemed to have fainted. The young Amazon was watching them leave with tears streaming down her face as she sobbed while she tended to her sister. She didn't look like the best fighter in her village at the moment, she just looked ... heartbroken.

 _I really wish it hadn't come to this. I hope this is the end of it._ Nabiki thought sadly to herself as she walked home arm-in-arm with Ranma.

———————

1\. "不要杀，不！ (Bùyào shā, bù - Don't kill, no!)"

2\. "叛徒、滚开！ (Pàntú, gǔn kāi - Traitor, move!)"

3\. "决不！ (Jué bù - Never)"

4\. "不要杀了这个，不要！ (Bùyào shāle zhège, bùyào! - Don't kill this one, do not!)"

5\. "你什么意思？这是命令！ (Nǐ shénme yìsi? Zhè shì mìnglìng! - What do you mean? It's the law!)"

6\. "她是一个叛徒。杀了她！ (Tā shì yīgè pàntú. Shāle tā! - She is a traitor. Kill her!)"


	59. I WON'T ALLOW IT!

[soundtrack for this: _Gone, Gone, Gone_ , by **Phillip Phillips** ]

Nabiki stood outside the restroom of the little coffee shop she and Ranma had stopped in so he could use the hot water to change back into a male. He had wanted her to come into the restroom with him, but she had refused. When he hadn't understood her reluctance she had been forced to lean in and whisper to him what people would think if they went in together and he came out a dripping wet male. He'd blushed, but still insisted. Their compromise was that she would stand with her hand on the doorknob, and he would leave the door unlocked. She had promised to scream and yank the door open and run inside if the Amazons attacked.

Thankfully, he emerged a moment later and made the whole issue moot. She looked him up and down, and smiled. He had clearly taken his clothes off before he'd used the hot water to change himself back into a guy. She could see that his skin and his hair were wet, but his clothes were mostly dry. She idly wondered if he would have done that with her in there with him. She entertained the idea with a shaky warm feeling inside as she licked her lips happily while she enjoyed the mental picture. Her nerves were still recovering from the fight at the school, so it was hard for her to let her mind wander at all. He started to step outside, but she stopped him and directed him to the counter. He raised an eyebrow at her but complied.

She smiled and ordered two cups of coffee to go from the somewhat flustered shop owner. He frowned at them but went ahead and filled their order and took the money she offered him. She took an exaggerated sip of her coffee after he handed it to her and smiled happily at the man.

"This is wonderful! Thank you so much! I should tell all my friends about the great coffee you serve here!" She said warmly.

The man cracked a smile at that and bowed to her politely as she steered Ranma away from the counter and out of the door. As soon as they were out of sight of the shop she shot her hand out and blocked him from raising his cup to his lips.

He looked over at her in surprise. She grimaced at him. "Don't. Trust me. It's horrid." She said as she poured her cup out into a nearby trashcan with disgust on her face.

He looked at her blankly. "Then ... why did you ..." He asked in a confused tone.

She smiled at him. "We used his restroom, and we acted weird. The least we could do was buy something from him and give him a compliment. It's how the world works, Ranma." She said softly as she reached over and grabbed his cup out of his hands after he managed to take a sip. She yanked her hand back just as he spit out the sip he'd taken.

"See. Told you." She said with a wink as she poured his cup out too.

"No, you were wrong. It's not horrid ... it's disgusting. I think that coffee was older than I am. Maybe even older than Pops." He said with revulsion.

She smiled at him. "I did warn you." She said lightly.

He nodded. "I know, but I wanted to see for myself anyway." He said with a smile of his own.

They walked in a comfortable silence for a while as they headed back home. She wanted to be happy and playful with him, but the weight of his impending confrontation with the Amazon Elder was just too much for her to shrug off.

He looked over at her a couple of times, and she could tell he was trying to summon the courage to ask her something. She waited until he was ready. Eventually he cleared his throat so she looked at him expectantly.

"I'm ... I'm sorry about everything that's happened." He said quietly.

She smiled at him and reached for his hand. "Don't be. None of it was your fault." She said firmly.

"Well, I think some of it probably was, according to the Old Ghoul anyway. But anyway, I'm still sorry. You've had it much harder than I'd thought you had. And it's amazin' how strong you are with dealin' with it all." He said softly.

She looked down briefly, then back up to him and smiled weakly at him. "Thank you Ranma. I do the best I can. I'm not sorry for any of the things I have done in my life. I was wronged, terribly. Life has not been fair to me, and the lessons I have learned from that were to protect myself and the people I love. I am not perfect, but this world we live in isn't perfect either. If you want to call that strength, I won't argue with you." She said in a subdued tone. She didn't want to talk about herself at the moment.

"What's wrong?" He asked her.

She smiled softly to herself. She was impressed how quickly he had picked up on her mood. "Can ... can you keep going? You know they aren't going to stop. It doesn't matter if you give Shona the kiss of death, or Shampoo, or literally every Amazon we fight. They'll keep coming." She said anxiously.

"I know." He said after a long pause. He looked over at her and met her eyes. Then he looked ahead again and took a deep breath. "I meant what I said though. I don't want to kill nobody, but I'm gonna have to start fightin' them without holdin' back. If they're too injured to fight, they'll hafta stop." He said with determination.

"What about Shampoo's great grandmother? Can you beat her?" She asked him cautiously. They were treading on an area that involved his pride. She knew to tread lightly.

He grinned at her and held up a victory sign as he winked. "Sure, no problem."

"Ranma..." She said in a warning tone.

He sighed and deflated and shrugged. "I dunno. I think I have a good shot at it. I'm not as weak as she thinks I am. There's stuff I know that she's never seen." He said confidently.

"Like what?" She asked him, genuinely curious.

He winked at her. "The Old Freak may be a disgrace, but that doesn't mean someone can't learn stuff from watchin' him." He said in a teasing tone.

"You learned something from him? Like what?" She asked hopefully.

"Secret." He said with a wink and a smile.

She opened her mouth to argue with him, then smiled herself and closed it. She would just wait and see. He was right to keep it a secret, who knew who might be listening to them as they walked.

They walked the next several blocks back towards home in quiet contemplation. She wanted to leave him alone to prepare for the fighting that was sure to be coming. She didn't know what he was thinking, but she assumed he was going over all of the fights with the Amazons he'd had so far and he was working on strategy.

As they got closer to home, she grew more and more anxious. She had a feeling something bad was about to happen. As soon as they stepped on the street that lead to her house, she was certain of it. Something didn't feel right. She looked over at him and saw that he was lost in thought as they walked. He was still looking around for danger, but his eyes were distant.

They walked a bit further up the road, and the hair started to stand up on the back of her neck. Something was definitely wrong. Ranma looked over at her and raised an eyebrow. She met his eyes and shook her head. She couldn't put into words what she was feeling yet. She knew it was wrong, but she didn't know how.

As they walked into view of the gate, it opened, and Riko leaned out and smiled at them and held her hands up in a stop motion as she smiled warmly. Nabiki pulled Ranma to a stop a good twenty meters away from the gate.

"Hey now you two, I can't letcha in without the password ... or a bribe." Riko said in a teasing tone.

She narrowed her eyes at her friend. What was Riko doing messing around at the gate? It wasn't safe. Ranma smiled and took a step forward. She put a hand out gently on Ranma's arm as she sucked a cold breath in nervously. "Hang on, something isn't right." She said as Riko smiled and waved at them. 

It dawned on her why she felt wrong then. Where were the soldiers?

 _My family ... is my family okay?_ She thought as panic surged inside her while she eyed her friend suspiciously, but with a smile on her face. Riko was smiling too, but something seemed ... off.

"Hey Riko, how's it going?" She called out in a warm tone as her mind worked furiously to analyze the situation. Ranma tried to wiggle away from her, but she clamped down hard on his arm to hold him still.

"Going good, thinking of going on a walk later." Riko called back in a happy tone.

"Walks are good, especially at dusk. It's too bad the best dragonflies come out at dawn though, ya know? Have you ever seen a dragonfly as beautiful as the ones at dawn?" She asked Riko in a casual tone. It was the same code phrase Riko had asked her earlier in the week.

A light went up in Riko's eyes and her friend smiled warmly at her and shook her head. "I haven't, I really wish I could see one though." Riko said casually. It was the danger phrase. It meant Riko was under duress and couldn't speak freely.

"Trap." She whispered to Ranma.

She more felt than saw him nod next to her. "What should we do?" He asked in just as quiet of a whisper.

"I ... don't know." She whispered back while she kept her fake smile in place. _My family ... my family ... my family!_ Nabiki screamed to herself as she fought the panic rising up inside herself. It was starting to feel like her worst nightmare was coming true.

"Maybe we can—" Ranma started to say.

"You're getting smarter with her around, grandson-in-law." The elder Joketsuzoku's voice said from behind the wall. A moment later the old woman hopped up into view on top of the wall. The old woman was smiling, but it was a cold smile that didn't reach her eyes. "You know, my granddaughter would have made you smarter too, if you had ever bothered to give her a chance. She is much more formidable than people give her credit for — she is a direct descendant of mine after all." The old woman said coldly as she swept her hand out and Shampoo reluctantly joined her Elder on top of the Tendo family walls. Shampoo looked over at Ranma briefly with fear and sadness in her eyes, then she looked back down at her feet and didn't move.

"You." Nabiki said, crestfallen as the panic inside her rose to the point of almost making her throw up. She was swaying on her feet.

"Of course, young one." The elder Amazon said in a mocking tone.

"Where did the... where's my..." She trailed off, hoping that any minute her fears would be proved wrong. _If the old woman is controlling Riko, and she's behind the walls, and the soldiers are nowhere to be seen ... oh God, no! Not my family!_ Nabiki thought as her vision started to blacken around the edges and her body started to shake.

"The soldiers? They won't be helping you. Your little toy soldiers might have been able to stand up against some of us, but certainly not all of us. I have ... taken care of them. As for your family ... you'll just have to wait and see." The elder Joketsuzoku said, dashing any hope she had that the soldiers were still in play. The thought of her family being hurt or dead behind the wall was paralyzing her with fear. She knew she was starting to hyperventilate. She could hear herself breathing rapidly as her vision dimmed. She knew she was growing close to passing out.

Nabiki darted her eyes over to Riko. Her friend had dropped the fake smile, but hadn't moved. Riko had to know what had happened. Maybe she could ask Riko? The old woman sighed and called down to the gate in Chinese for someone to come out.

A moment later the gate opened further and Riko was pushed out of the gate by Shona. Shona was limping and looking much worse for wear than usual. Black and white armband stood directly behind Shona and scowled at Ranma. Shona was doing everything she could to avoid looking at him. She could tell that Shona was afraid of him, but even more afraid of her elder.

She shifted her attention to Riko. "Riko, what happened?!" She demanded in a semi-hysterical voice.

Riko looked up at her and tried to smile nervously. "I was worried about you. So ... I kind of snuck away and went looking for you. They grabbed me before I even saw them." Riko said apologetically.

"Oh ... Riko ... " She said with worry and chagrine in her voice. Riko doesn't know what happened. _My family ... where's my family?!_ She thought in increasing panic. She could see that Shona was holding Riko's arm behind her back. The Amazon most likely had a weapon pressed up against Riko. That made the situation much more dangerous. Would she have to stand and watch as Riko was murdered in front of her? She looked over at Ranma desperately.

Ranma met her gaze and nodded. "Let her go!" Ranma yelled heatedly as he took a strong step forward.

She lashed her hand out and stopped him firmly. He couldn't save Riko by just jumping into a fight. "Think, Ranma. She ... she may be the only one left ... you can't just rush in." She whispered to him in a shaking voice as she tried desperately to control her fear. She couldn't, the fear was winning.

"Listen to her, grandson-in-law. You wouldn't want to be responsible for _yet another woman_ being hurt because of you, now would you?" The old woman taunted.

Ranma shook his head tensely and stepped back.

She eyed the elder Amazon with fearful eyes, and tried to do what she always did, make a deal. "H-Honored Elder ... p-perhaps, we could come to an ... a-arrangement?" She asked in a shaking voice.

Shampoo's grandmother turned her gaze and rested it fully on her. She could _feel_ the weight of that gaze. It was uncomfortable having it on her. The old woman cracked a small smile and shook her head.

"It's a pity you were born Japanese, my dear. You have an instinctive understanding of the ancient Chinese art of bargaining that has escaped my entire bloodline, except for myself of course."

"You do me great honor, thank you." She forced herself to say politely with a small nod of her head. Ranma looked over at her with wide eyes, but wisely stayed silent.

"Unfortunately, while your skills would be useful back home, I am afraid I find myself in a situation where I cannot find a way to allow you to continue to use them, while still obeying our laws. I'm sorry my dear. It's nothing personal." The Elder Amazon said coldly as she turned her attention back to Shona.

"Now, grandson-in-law, if you don't want this girl to suffer because of your pride, agree now to come back home with us, marry Shampoo, and put an end to this foolishness." The old woman said in an ice cold voice.

"You people don't listen very well, do ya?" Ranma growled through clenched teeth as he took a step towards Shona while he flexed his hands into claws.

Shona made a sharp motion behind Riko, and her friend hissed in pain and winced away from Shona as best she could. Ranma froze and looked back at her with wide eyes.

"Nabiki ... what do we ... I don't ..." He said with real fear in his voice. She knew that his own issues with women being hurt would be so much worse if he was responsible for Riko being hurt, even indirectly. Causing that was something he wouldn't be able to willingly do.

She shook her head slowly as her sense of reality started to shatter. This couldn't ... couldn't be happening, could it? How had it come to this? She looked over at her oldest friend, who was looking at her while trying to be brave, and failing miserably at it. "I think ... I think it's checkmate ... Ranma." She said as she let a tear slip down her cheek. She loved him, but she didn't love him more than everyone else she loved. She couldn't bear the thought of letting Riko suffer, even if that might buy her the freedom to be with him. She hugged herself tightly and tried to control her breathing to keep from passing out with fear. She wouldn't do anyone any good unconscious.

"Of course it's checkmate, children. You're a hundred years too early to take me on. You lost as soon as you decided to do that. It's time for the games to stop. Honestly, when my granddaughter came and told me that you are giving the kiss of death now, and it was time for us to leave, I was almost impressed enough to let you face me before I ended this, but ... not yet. Soon though, I think you'll be worthy. You'll make a fine addition to the strength of our village. But enough is enough, playtime is over. You will obey the law, now. And just so you understand that I am serious, I think a little lesson is in order, so you'll understand the _consequences,_ should you decide to try to defy me again." The Amazon Elder said with steel in her voice .

Shampoo looked up sharply at that and took a hesitant step towards the old woman with surprised panic in her eyes.

The Elder Amazon raised her hand towards Shona and ordered Shona in Chinese to hurt Riko.

"Great grandma, No!" Shampoo said in alarm as she rushed over and grabbed her elder's hand out of the air, as if that could bring back the command.

"No!" Nabiki yelled in terror as she started to sprint towards Riko.

Ranma moved as soon as she did and leaped to stop Shona as well.

Before Shona could move, or Ranma could reach her, something dropped down to the street from the rooftops and landed right where Shona was with speed that was even faster than Ranma's blurred speed. The shock wave of the impact froze everyone in their tracks. A microsecond later the motion zipped back away from the gate, well away from everyone, and solidified into Miso.

The woman who called herself Miso, who had posed as a nurse at school, and who was apparently Tofu's master, stood calmly on the street, still in her nurse's uniform. Riko was swaying on her feet behind Miso, looking dazed.

"You again." Shampoo's great grandmother said without a touch of surprise in her voice.

"Yup, me again. We do seem to keep running into each other, don't we?" Miso said in a sing-song voice as she stood in front of Riko nonchalantly. Riko was breathing heavily and obviously panicked at the near brush she'd had with the Amazons. Her friend hadn't known that the command had been to hurt her, not kill her.

Miso smiled softly at some joke apparently only she had heard and called out a summons, still using her sing-song voice. "Come on out girls. She's safe."

The rest of Nabiki's friends emerged from behind the wall Miso was standing in front of. They practically fell on Riko while hugging her and reassuring themselves that she was all right by touching her.

Nabiki's hope for her family rose slightly. If her friends were safe, maybe her family was as well? Of course, Miso had only promised to protect her friends. She looked at Miso for some sign, but saw nothing as the woman stared down the Amazon Elder.

"Why do you interfere with us? You have no stake in this." Shampoo's great grandmother asked in a genuinely perplexed tone.

"Your name, please." Miso said, ignoring the question.

The elder Amazon stood up to her full diminutive height and replied in a proud tone. "I am the First Elder of Nyucheizu which is the home of the ancient Joketsuzoku clan in the Bayankala mountains from the Qinghai province of China. Now ... who are you?"

Miso shook her head softly and repeated herself. "Your name, please." There was a hard glint in Miso's eyes.

"You may call me Cologne." The Elder Amazon said in a growling voice.

"And you may call me ... Miso." Miso said with a laugh in her voice.

"What's funny?" The Elder Amazon asked.

"If you give me a fake name, I will give you a fake name in return." Miso said with a wink.

"Cologne is ... my ... real ... name." Shampoo's great grandmother bit out the words angrily. Shampoo started to edge away from her elder nervously.

"It _is_ a stupid name." Ranma said under his breath.

"Yup, that's why I never use it." Nabiki replied absently as she studied the situation. Miso had already said she wouldn't fight for them ... had she changed her mind?

"I ask again, what stake do you have in this? Why do you interfere? We have no quarrel with you." The eldest Amazon persisted.

"None, really. Aside from my student's request and my own curiosity ... oh, and I suppose just as a Japanese citizen. You _are_ a hostile force on our land from China, are you not?" Miso said, still using her sing-song voice.

"We are neither here on behalf of China, nor here to threaten your country. This is a family matter between my family and the boy's family. Pure and simple."

"And yet ... you brought a _lot_ of people with you." Miso said with a wink. "You sure it's just a _family matter_?" Miso asked with a huge grin on her face.

"Yes." The Joketsuzoku elder said coldly.

"Very well then, proceed." Miso said in her normal tone of voice. As the Amazon's First Elder turned to address Shona again, Miso held up a hand and spoke again. "These girls here with me are off limits though." Miso said politely.

Shampoo's great grandmother frowned at that. "I am sure you think you are being noble or something, but you are trying my patience. I don't want to involve you in this, but I will. You don't get to dictate terms to me." The Elder Amazon said coldly. Miso didn't reply to that, she just smiled maddeningly back at the Elder Amazon.

Finally, Miso spoke again while still smiling. "Your overconfidence could be a fatal flaw in your character. I let the girl wander off and watched your people handle her. I have a sense of your strength and numbers. She was good bait for that." Miso said calmly.

"Hey!" Riko protested behind Miso.

Miso turned and winked at her. "Don't go running off if you don't want to be in danger." Miso scolded her before turning back to face the Amazons.

"I don't know who you think you are, but you are making a grave mistake." The Elder Amazon said angrily.

" _Do you think she'll help us?_ " Nabiki leaned in and whispered to Ranma. She was going crazy with worry for her family. Where were they?!

"No, she won't help decide this fight." Tofu's voice said quietly over her shoulder.

She jumped, startled, and spun to face him as she lunged for him and clutched at his collar roughly with trembling fists. Her anger with him and her fear for her family broke the surface of her control. "WHERE IS MY FAMILY?! WHERE ARE THEY?!" She screamed at him hysterically as she lost any sense of control of herself.

He looked at her kindly and smiled. "They're all safe. When the Amazons' heavy hitters arrived and started knocking out the soldiers, captain Maki declared the house a loss and lead a fighting retreat to get everyone out safely while your mercenaries backed them up. We're all out on the street, but everyone is all right. Akane and your father are protecting Kasumi, and Ranma's father and I have come to help end this." Tofu said as he swept his hand behind himself. As if on cue, Genma stepped out into the street from behind a wall. For once, he looked like a proper martial artist, and not the degenerate she knew he was.

"I will fight to help my dear old friend Tendo." He said calmly as he walked forward.

Tears sprang into her eyes and she swallowed hard as she shook with relief to hear that her family was safe. She drew in a long shuddering breath and let her head hang down to rest her chin to her chest for a moment. She felt like she was going to pass out. A moment later she weakly turned back to Ranma and tried to get back to business as best she could. Akane wouldn't quit in the middle of a fight, so she wouldn't either. Tofu and Genma stepped to stand to either side of them and visibly prepared to fight.

"Can you beat her?" She asked Ranma hurriedly under her breath.

"Sure." He said somewhat nervously as he turned to face her.

She looked over his shoulder at the old woman who had beaten him so easily in the past, and shuddered with fear. She couldn't bear to lose him now. Not after everything that had happened between them in the last few days. She leaned into him and whispered to him softly. "My family's safe. I don't care about the house. There's no dishonor in running away to fight another day in the face of a foe you have no hope of defeating. I'll go with you, I can make us disappear. Not even the Amazons could get to us."

He stepped back and looked at her with a mixture of gratitude and sadness. "I can't just ... run away ... I _have ta_ fight. I have ta fight for you, and Akane, and Kasumi, and your dad. I don't want ya ta have ta be afraid no more. And besides, if we ran, they might try to take it out on Akane and them. I can't let them do that." He said with determination.

She reached her hand up and laid in on his cheek tenderly. "Tofu and my Daddy would protect Akane and Kasumi." She said earnestly. "Please, Ranma, let's run away. You don't have to do this."

He smiled sadly at her. "I do, and you know I do." He said softly as he reached up and pulled her hand off his face and squeezed it gently before he let it drop. He straightened up to his full height and smiled at her in a way she could tell was trying to hide his uneasiness. To her his smile looked like the fatalistic determination of a solider marching off to a war they had no hope of winning.

He turned and shouted at the Amazons as he balled his hands into fists and stepped forward. "It's been fun and games in the past, but I'm serious now! I've never lost a fight, you know that, right? Sometimes it takes me a little while to figure out how to win, but I _always_ do. I don't lose. Ever. Go away. Go back to China!" He yelled angrily.

"And as I have already told you, every single one of your _special_ techniques, you learned from me, you fool." The Amazon Elder replied in a tone that most people used for explaining simple things to very thick-headed small children.

"I might surprise ya with what I know. You don't know who you're foolin' with, old woman. This is your last chance. Go away. Go back to China. I'm sick and tired of you and your tribe." He growled.

Cologne stood atop her staff, and sneered at Ranma. "So it's come to this then, has it, Ranma? Well, I guess there's nothing left to say then." The old woman said with derision.

It did not escape her notice that Shampoo's elder was no longer calling him _grandson-in-law_ ... that ... probably wasn't a good sign.

" _Can you get Miso to help?_ " She whispered to Tofu. " _Why is she involved if she won't help?_ " She whispered in frustration.

" _I can't explain her, Nabiki. She's a grandmaster of the Art. She does what she wants to do_." Tofu said quietly.

 _"A ... grandmaster?"_ She whispered in reply _._

 _"Yes. What, did you think China was the only land with ancient secrets and grandmasters of the Art? Japan has its own, and she's one of them. She's here because she wants to be here._ " Tofu whispered back softly, with a note of pride in his voice.

" _How good is s—_ "

" _I wouldn't last a heartbeat against her._ " Tofu cut her off with a soft smile on his face. " _She's better than anyone, literally anyone, I have ever seen who practices the Art._ " He whispered confidently.

She sucked a trembling breath in and locked her eyes on Tofu's Master, the woman who had introduced herself to her as a simple nurse named Miso. It was amazing what the woman had kept hidden about herself.

_At least ... at least Miso promised that she'd protect my friends. That's at least somet—_

"Nabiki, you're okay!" Daddy's voice called out behind her, interrupting her thoughts. She spun on her heel and shook again with relief as she saw Daddy step out into the street with Kasumi right behind him and Akane bringing up the rear. Akane looked deadly seriously and was in full battle mode.

Akane looked bruised and dirty, but otherwise fine. She wanted to ask Akane what had happened in her absence, but now wasn't the time. It was enough for her at the moment that everyone was still alive.

"Enough of this! We settle this now!" The elder Joketsuzoku shouted as she hopped down to the street from the wall. Shampoo followed her reluctantly at a distance.

Ranma nodded as he loosened his stance and got ready to fight, a moment later his usual yellow battle aura sprang into life and danced on his skin.

The old woman smiled dismissively at him. "Are you ready? You understand what is at stake here, correct? You had to work very hard to face me unrestrained. It would be a pity if the fight ended before it really even began and you had to face the consequences of your loss so quickly." She taunted him.

"Well, in that case, hang on." Ranma said in a false cheerful voice. Then he leaned back to her and whispered to her. "It's time, Kiki, get the cat out."

"How ... did you know ...?" She asked as she set down the leather satchel she had been carrying around since the morning.

"I can smell 'em." He said quietly without taking his eyes off the old woman.

"You never cease to amaze me, Saotome." She said quietly as she stood up with a cat in her arms. It was purring. She had specifically arranged to borrow this specific cat from the neighbors because it was so mild. At least it wouldn't scratch his face up when it was time. "Ready?" She asked.

"Yup." He said without hesitation. Then he quickly looked back at her and said in a serious tone. "You'll have to hold it in my face until I change. I ... I can't do it myself." He said in an embarrassed voice.

She nodded. "I will do what must be done." She promised. She knew she was echoing the words Akane had said earlier that had so upset her. Today ... she understood her younger sister a little better. Sometimes duty was unavoidable.

"See you when this is over..." He said softly.

"Damn straight you will, Saotome. We have unfinished business." She said with tears in her eyes.

"Do it." He said bravely.

She nodded and brought the cat up to his face with shaking hands as she wrapped her other arm around the back of his neck and pulled him in as the panic took control of him. She had to use every single gram of strength she had, but she was able to hold on long enough until the change overtook him. He made a cat noise and hopped away from her and immediately turned to face the old woman as an enormous battle aura erupted from him.

She held the cat and stroked it softly for a few moments to make up for having held it in his face like that, then she knelt down and let it go without taking her eyes off Ranma. She knew the cat would find its way home to its owners without problem.

Ranma immediately leaped up and threw himself at the Amazon elder in his cat form, and the Amazon answered his attack with blurred motion of her own. Moments later she completely lost track of the fight as they became an indistinguishable blur.

"I'd better go help." Tofu said as he stepped forward.

"Yes, you should." She said coldly without looking at him as Ranma's dad leaped to join the fray.

"No!" Kasumi called out in fear as she rushed over to him and held a hand against his chest to stop him from walking. Tofu smiled at Kasumi. She could see that he was shimmering with a pale white battle aura and he was gathering himself to throw himself into the fight. He started to walk towards the fight. Kasumi grit her teeth and shook her head fiercely.

He looked down at her in confusion. Kasumi couldn't seem to meet his eyes. Her older sister stared straight ahead and seemed to be fighting to keep herself from crying. "You ... you don't have to do this, Doctor. Ranma and his dad can handle her." Kasumi protested.

Tofu tilted his head down to look at Kasumi kindly, but his battle aura did not abate, if anything it was growing stronger by the second.

He put his hands on Kasumi's shoulders and said in his calm and kind voice, just like he was speaking in his clinic on a sunny day. "Yes, I do have to do this, Kasumi."

Kasumi looked up at him with tears threatening to spill from her eyes and whispered. "But why? This isn't your fight. You've ... you've done enough, Doctor."

He shook his head gently at Kasumi. She could see his eyes darting back and forth from Kasumi to the fight. "You're wrong, Kasumi, this is my fight." He slowly started to walk against Kasumi, ever so gently breaking her stance and starting to push past her.

"But _why_?!" Kasumi asked more strongly. "You've done so much for us. Why do you keep putting yourself in danger for us? It's not right." Kasumi protested.

He paused for a moment as he pushed past her older sister. He looked over to her as he continued to speak with Kasumi. "You remember when Nabiki asked me to get her friends and bring them here? And I said I couldn't? It was because I swore an oath. I promised your mother near the end, that I would watch over you girls. I swore I would die before I let any harm come to any of you. And as long as I draw breath, that is exactly what I will do." He said with steel in his voice.

He squeezed Kasumi's shoulder gently as he softly pushed past her and broke her hold on him. Kasumi had clearly been pressing on him to hold him back as hard as she could, and he had moved past her like she hadn't even been there. Kasumi obviously couldn't think of anything else to say to him as her older sister turned around and watched him enter the fight to back Ranma up against Shampoo's Elder. She silently watched as tears slid down Kasumi's cheeks.

She sympathized with Kasumi, but only to a point. If it came down to it ... she was willing to sacrifice Tofu in favor of Ranma. She knew it was a terribly selfish thing to think, and that it would hurt Kasumi deeply. But she didn't think she would ever be able to forgive Tofu for what he'd done. In her mind, Tofu for Ranma was more than a fair trade.

She shook he head and refocused on the fight. She smiled softly to herself. Ranma was doing very well. The cat-fist wasn't enough to beat the old lady outright, but he was using it effectively enough to essentially hold the fight to a draw. She smiled at that. She knew, absolutely _knew,_ that Ranma would win this fight. She had total faith in him. She knew he had sworn an oath as well, just like Tofu. She shivered as emotions hit her which she didn't fully understand. What she did understand, was that Ranma would rather die than let anything happen to her and her sisters, and Ranma also **kept** his promises. He also **hated** to lose. 

She smiled as she tried to watch the fight. It was happening far too fast for her to really follow, but she felt it was her duty to bear witness to it anyway.

Akane made her way over to her then and stood next to her, watching the fight. She was thankful that her little sister had enough sense to not try to help. It was one thing when Ranma was fighting normally. It was another thing entirely when he was only fighting to a stalemate while using the cat-fist _and_ Tofu and Ranma's dad were helping. She glanced over at Kasumi who was still standing a few paces away, where she had tried to stop Tofu. Daddy was standing next to Kasumi now in a fighting stance. It was clear that Daddy wasn't taking any chances with the safety of the family.

"Do you know what's going on?" Akane asked her quietly.

She nodded her head but didn't answer. She kept her eyes on Ranma as she watched him fight.

"Do you know why Doctor Tofu is fighting?" Akane asked.

She nodded again, but still didn't say anything. The only additional answer she gave Akane was to reach down and hold her hand. Akane tensed up at first, then relaxed and squeezed her hand in reply. Nabiki had known that she would understand. Akane was a lot more sensitive than people gave her credit for.

They stood together and watched as the man they both loved fought to the death to protect their family. She glanced hopefully over at Miso a couple of times, but the woman was just standing calmly in front of her friends and watching the battle with a small smile on her face.

Her eyes were torn off Miso when Ranma's dad was knocked clear of the fight a moment later. He crashed head-first into the wall of her family's lands, and lay still. Her hope sank a little at that, but not much. Ranma's dad could fight, but it was really Ranma and Tofu whose fighting skills she had the most faith in.

Another moment later Ranma was knocked clear of the fight and all of the blurring motion stopped as the Old Ghoul stopped moving for a moment and sneered as she prepared her next attack and Tofu paused to catch his breath. Ranma was still in his cat-fist form and he was clearly dazed. He rolled around on the ground and clutched at his gut and whimpered as he fought to regain his feet.

The old woman surged forward much sooner than anyone seemed to be expecting. Nabiki would have screamed but before her fright could even register, Tofu blurred in front of Ranma and deflected the attacks. She saw little wounds blossom to life on Tofu's skin as he shielded Ranma from the weapon strikes the Amazon Elder was raining down. A moment later Tofu managed to knock the old woman back as he also took a strike to his lower leg and sank to his knee for a moment in hissed pain.

The old woman smirked and snapped her fingers. A second later multiple sections of the walls to her family's lands shattered, and row after row of Amazons started to pour through the walls. It was an army!

"Master, please." Tofu called out to Miso as he struggled to his feet and looked at his master with some urgency in his eyes. Miso looked back at him sadly, and shook her head. Then the woman paused, sighed, and raised a finger in the classic _wait_ signal. "All right, Tofu, but you're going to owe me some serious gardening for this." Miso said as the Amazons started marching out.

Nabiki shot a panicked look at Miso. Tofu's master smiled and finally broke character and dropped the nurse persona she'd been using. As she watched, the woman who called herself Miso stood up straighter, and transformed into a **grandmaster** of the Art. A terrible weight settled into the air, like the bass and air pressure one could feel if one were to stand under a cargo plane landing. 

A fire sprang into Miso's eyes. The substitute _nurse_ started to radiate an absolutely insane amount of power. She didn't have words to properly describe it. The woman's lab coat whipped around on unseen and unfelt winds. She could see the ghostly edges of the woman's battle aura, and it was enormous. Far bigger than anything she had ever seen Happosai, Ranma or Tofu produce, combined. She'd felt it before, but she hadn't seen it. Now that she could see it, she was dumbfounded with the power on display. Last time Miso's aura had felt peaceful. This time though, it didn't feel peaceful. This time ... it felt like death. She felt weaker and heavier just being in the presence of it.

Miso swiveled her heavy gaze over to her and grinned a feral grin as she shot her hands to either side in a protective stance in front of Riko and the rest of her friends. She actually felt the air pressure of the gesture as Miso moved with heavy emphasis. Miso then winked at her as she laughed a heady, almost giddy laugh. There was a certain manic nature about the woman, almost like Miso herself was a force of nature ... or a Goddess.

Miso was powerful, and clearly knew it. A grandmaster of the Art probably rarely got a chance to unleash her full power, and certainly even more rarely to do it in the defense of others. Miso seemed to be enjoying herself.

"I have _got_ to learn how to do that." Riko yelled loud enough that Nabiki can hear her from across the street where she was standing. She smiled at her friend fondly.

"Know this..." Miso said in a soft voice that carried on the wind anyway, like a megaphone was being used. The woman dragged a toe in the dirt of the street and sketched out a rough line in front of herself. "Anyone who crosses this line, intent on harming these girls ... may not live to fight another day." To emphasize her point, Miso flashed a pulse of power from her battle aura. It was incredible, she actually had to take a step back against the force of it.

She swung her eyes around the street and saw everyone else present have to take a step back and steady themselves as well, except for two people, Tofu, and the Joketsuzoku elder.

Shampoo's Great Grandmother was perched on her staff and frowning heavily at Miso. A moment later, two things happened at the same time. The Amazon elder locked eyes with Shona, who stood in the vanguard of the rest of the Amazons, then waved her hand forward towards the Tendos, and her friends. As soon as the Amazon began signaling, Miso flashed a series of hand signs to Tofu who nodded solemnly at his master.

Then all hell broke loose.

Tofu yanked Ranma back to his feet and jumped back into the fight with the old woman as the Amazons surged into battle. Akane reacted with a warrior's strength and speed. Her younger sister pulled her back and hauled her bodily out of the danger zone as Amazons rushed towards them. Daddy stepped in front of Kasumi and started pushing her older sister back away from the fight as well, but on a different angle than the one she and Akane were retreating down.

She risked a glance over at Miso as both Daddy and Akane began fighting with some of the Amazons. Miso was a blur of motion. For the most part the woman was just staying in front of her friends and keeping them safe. More and more of the Amazons were heading towards the fight with Miso. They didn't seem to be able to resist testing themselves against a strong woman.

Miso did blur out towards Akane and Daddy a couple of times, and a few Amazons would drop to the ground when Miso did that, but for the most part, Miso just protected Riko and the others. It was enough though, it was working to keep the Amazons focused on that instead of helping their Elder fight.

The fight continued that way for several minutes. There was a pile of Amazons around Miso now, and small piles in front of Akane and Daddy now as well. Most of the Amazons were crowding around Miso and sending challengers out to Miso one at a time. Miso was indulging them and fighting them like it was simply a tournament challenge. It didn't look like Miso had killed any of them ... yet.

Akane wasn't fighting as loosely. Any Amazon who came within range, Akane lashed out at without mercy. The Amazons who had challenged Akane had gone down with dislocated shoulders, broken jaws, and other fairly serious injuries.

She swept her eyes over to see how Daddy was doing, she hoped he—

Ranma was knocked clear of the fight again and went sailing across the street to crash into the wall near where his father had landed. The old woman jumped after him, hot on his heels and raised her staff to strike. Something was wrong, she could tell just by the look at Ranma's eyes that he was back in his right frame of mind. The cat fist was gone!

Ranma winced away from the strike. He seemed to be struggling to move his body. He closed his eyes as the staff whistled towards his head. She opened her mouth to scream, but stopped when Tofu again blurred in front of Ranma and shielded him. The older martial artist caught the old woman's staff arm on his own rising block, then he whipped his hand up and almost managed to get the staff out of the woman's grasp. The Amazon elder was forced to hop back and disengage from the fight in order to keep it.

As soon as the Joketsuzoku elder was out of Range, Tofu reached down and yanked Ranma to his feet by the back of his shirt. He held Ranma up and slapped Ranma's back in various places with his palm and finger tips. Ranma twitched as Tofu rapidly hit pressure points on his body.

A moment later something seemed to unlock in Ranma and he seemed to regain full control of his body again.

Ranma smiled tightly to Tofu as he turned to face the Elder Amazon again and shouted at her. "That was a dirty trick!"

"This is a street fight, you fool." Was all the Amazon Elder said. Whatever the Amazon had done to him had not only knocked the cat right out of him, but it seemed to have also temporarily paralyzed him. If Tofu hadn't been present, it could have been bad.

The Amazon Elder darted to the side of the street and knocked a huge chunk of concrete from a wall into the air then she jumped up and hit it back down to the ground aimed at Ranma like she was hitting a volley ball.

Ranma smirked and jumped up and shattered the concrete with a rising punch. Pieces of it went flying in every direction.

Nabiki ducked to avoid some of the larger pieces that came flying her way.

"Ranma, be careful!" Tofu called out as he brushed himself off from having dived to the ground to avoid the debris himself.

Ranma looked back at him and nodded.

"That was a close one, huh Akane?" She said as she brought her eyes back down from the fight to glance at Akane. But Akane wasn't there.

She looked around in a panic, and found Akane on the ground a moment later. Her little sister was slowly rising to her knees and shaking her head to clear it. Nabiki could see a bump forming on the left side of Akane's head.

"Akane, are you—"

"I'll **never** give up! **NEVER!** " Ranma yelled, pulling her attention back to the fight. Ranma was wiping blood away from a cut in the corner of his mouth. He spat to the side and winced. She could see that it was red. He clenched his fists and took a step towards the Elder Amazon, and in front of her and Akane. "You'll have ta kill me to get to any of 'em!" Ranma yelled.

"That _is_ the general idea." Shampoo's great grandmother mocked.

The old woman stepped back and began to do something with her hands. It was obvious the Elder Amazon was focusing her battle aura to do something. Whatever it was, it was making the hair on the back of her neck stand straight up.

"Oh no you don't!" Ranma yelled as he launched himself at the elder Joketsuzoku. He was no longer able to use his cat-fist, he was just fighting normally now.

"Oh no." Nabiki muttered to herself. Even she could see the situation was getting bad.

Nabiki was absolutely rooted to the ground. She wanted to cheer for Ranma, but she was terrified of distracting him. Even with her limited training, she could tell that the old lady was out for blood just by looking at her. She didn't think the old lady would have stopped the fight and left in peace at this point even if Ranma had stopped and surrendered and promised to marry Shampoo on the spot.

"Ranma, wait!" Doctor Tofu yelled as he pulled himself up to his feet and started to run towards them.

The old lady was glowing so strongly now, that it hurt her eyes to look at her. Cologne was cupping her hands and muttering something as Ranma and Doctor Tofu ran towards her.

"Nabiki!" She heard Daddy yell in a panicked voice to her left. She tore her eyes from Ranma for a moment and saw Daddy looking at her with fear in his eyes. He was still standing in front of Kasumi.

It dawned on Nabiki as her eyes darted back to the old woman, then back to Daddy's terror stricken eyes, that the old lady was about to do something ... _bad_. Even if Daddy tried to pull Kasumi with him to get to her, it would put Kasumi at risk, and he'd never reach her in time. She put the hardest glare she could into her eyes in the fraction of a second she had left and shook her head no.

Daddy wailed her name but nodded and turned so he was fully in front of Kasumi. The glow from the old lady changed from a pulsating dull glow to an intense, blinding red. The very air was alive with electricity. Daddy was now glowing with a powerful battle aura of his own. He was always strongest when he was protecting his girls. She could see that his body was shuddering though. She knew he was crying.

She could feel the raw power in the air as the Amazon Elder let loose with whatever attack she'd been building up and she felt the deep bass of the shock wave head her way. 

She looked over at Ranma sadly and fixed him in her mind as the last thing she would ever see as she closed her eyes and whispered, " _Ranma ... I'm so sorry..._ "

She braced herself for the impact. With the wall behind her and the fight in front of her, she had nowhere to go.

She felt an **incredible** power surge in front of her a split second before she felt an enormous and cold shock wave tear all around her and impact the walls surrounding the street in every direction. Somehow ... she was still alive.

"HANG ON, NABIKI!" Akane's voice sounded in front of her. She cracked opened her eyes ... and there she was, her little sister, once again standing in front of her with her arms spread wide, protecting her. Akane was shielding her from the terrible energy being unleashed by the battle in the street, even as her little sister was pushed back from the crackling force of it. Akane had been the source of the power she had felt. Her little sister had saved her life, again. Akane was a credit to the Tendo line of Martial Artists. Akane _deserved_ to end up with Ranma.

She couldn't even see what was going on in the fight anymore, they were moving so fast, and the energy glow from their unrestrained power was just too bright. Akane was glowing too. It was a bright white, stronger than she had ever seen Akane make before. Usually Akane's auras were red.

She could see that Akane was suffering to protect her. She didn't think Akane would last much longer.

"Akane ... no! Save yourself!" Nabiki yelled frantically to her little sister as she reached up to Akane's shoulder and pulled hard to try to move Akane out of the way, but Akane reached back and slapped her hand away, much harder.

"I WILL NOT! I WON'T ALLOW IT! I WON'T LOSE YOU TOO!" Akane screamed in a shaking, sobbing voice.


	60. I'll Never Stop

[soundtrack for this: _Better Place_ , by **Rachel Platten** ]

The intensity of Akane's fighting spirit rose even higher. Akane backed up and forced Nabiki closer to the wall behind her. She assumed Akane was moving her to where her little sister could control the shielding better. She could feel Akane burning with the power of her fighting spirit.

She knew what Akane had yelled had been about Mom. "Oh, Akane ... " she whispered as she stepped forward and put her hand gently on her sister's back. She focused hard on her own Ki and tried to pull as much strength as she could from it. She hoped that if she was using her own Ki, it might help Akane in some way. It wasn't much, but it was all she could do. Akane was slowly slumping in a slow wilt under the onslaught of the energy her little sister was shielding her from.

She was scared, but also angry. Very angry. _Why do we have to go through all of this, just to love who we want?! It isn't fair!_ She thought furiously, as she focused on her resentment and fear from the last few days. She saw movement out of the corner of her eye and looked down at herself. She was glowing now too. It was a much weaker flickering blue aura than the powerful one her sister was putting out, but it was all she could do. She leaned into Akane's back and _pushed_ and tried to help Akane stand against the unbelievable power being unleashed in the street.

Gradually, Akane reversed the slow slump against the power she had been struggling against being overwhelmed by. Akane started to stand up straighter, and stronger. Her little sister clenched her body and she could feel the power inside Akane surge up at her sister's call as Akane yelled and fought back against the onslaught.

The color of Akane's battle aura changed from a brilliant white to a pure white with a very faint blue fringe. Akane's posture firmed up, and her little sister dug in her stance and growled in defiance. Nabiki could see little rips appearing on the edges of Akane's clothing, and her sister's hair was flying all around her in disarray, but Akane didn't retreat one step further.

Nabiki lay her head down and pressed it up against the back of Akane's neck as she poured everything she had to give into her sister. "Hang on, Akane, please hang on!" She yelled over the battle.

"T-That's ... what I ... was going ... to tell ... you!" Akane managed to get out as she yelled back over her shoulder in a strained voice. Nabiki smiled. She loved her sister. Ranma would do well with her.

As abruptly as the energy wave had started, it stopped. Akane actually took two steps forward and stumbled to a stop with a surprised yelp.

As for herself, she ended up on her hands and knees and wincing as she caught herself from falling. She looked up gratefully to thank Akane but swore instead as she dove to catch her little sister. Akane was slowly slumping to the ground and falling backwards with her eyes rolled up into the back of her head.

She managed to catch Akane's head in her hands as she lunged forward with her arms outstretched. She shifted to a sitting position and pulled Akane's head into her lap and then looked up to survey the battlefield.

Daddy was down on one knee and breathing heavily while resting a fist on the ground. Kasumi was standing behind him with her hand resting on his shoulder. But her elder sister wasn't watching Daddy. Kasumi was watching Tofu with fear on her face.

Nabiki looked up at the fight and cringed. Ranma was breathing heavily and resting his hands on his knees as he watched the old woman warily. Tofu was standing to the right of Ranma and holding his left elbow with his right hand. She could see blood seeping from in between Tofu's fingers. It was obvious that Tofu had shielded Ranma from the brunt of the Amazon Elder's attack. He was wobbling on his feet a bit, and his clothes were actually smoking!

She looked back quickly at Miso and found Tofu's master standing calmly in front of her friends with a small smile curving up one side of her mouth. She didn't see a battle aura coming from Miso, but she could still feel it. She did see something that shimmered almost transparent in the air around Miso and her friends though. Maybe it was some kind of shield? Riko had her fists clenched at her sides and was grinding her teeth while tears of righteous fury slid down her friend's cheeks. She knew Riko hated situations like the one they were in. Regardless, her friends seemed to be all right.

The same, however, could not be said for the Amazons. Almost all of the Amazons were on the ground now, most of them had been thrown up against the walls on either side of the street. All of the ones down looked to be unconscious.

Only Shona and black and white armbands were still standing, and Shona was standing a few paces in front of the other two elites, and was just now dropping her hands from a guarding position. As she watched, Shona slumped to her knees then slumped to the side to sit heavily on the ground. The fight seemed to have been knocked completely out of her. Black and white armband hurried to either side of Shona and dragged their elder sister back behind the walls of the Tendo home, out of range of the battle.

She turned her eye to Shampoo and found the young Chinese warrior who had started this entire thing standing about twenty paces behind her great grandmother, next to the wall. Shampoo didn't look hurt. The young Amazon was alternating looking at Ranma with anguish in her eyes, and at her great grandmother with growing disbelief. Nabiki was sure that Shampoo couldn't believe that her great grandmother had so casually injured so many of her fellow Amazons, simply to try to overpower Ranma and Tofu.

Tofu looked over at Kasumi and grimaced. Before anyone could do anything further the old woman blurred into motion again and threw something at Ranma. Tofu reacted instantly and moved in front of Ranma before Nabiki could even blink. The man she had, until recently, always thought of as her family doctor, and friend, unwrapped his hands around a knife that he'd caught centimeters from Ranma's chest. Tofu's hand was bleeding freely now. It had not been a clean catch. He'd saved Ranma's life, again.

Tofu dropped the knife to the street and growled as he stepped in front of Ranma while he tore a strip of cloth from his gi and wrapped it around his hand. Ranma had stood up fully, but he was still breathing heavily. She knew he was fighting tired, and it was showing.

"Very noble, Doctor. But, hopelessly futile. You think you can defeat me? Me, the First Elder of the Joketsuzoku?!"

"Yes." Was the simple answer Tofu gave as he stood in front of Ranma.

"Fool." The Elder Amazon said as she snapped her fingers. Shona and the two armband girls leaped over the wall and threw themselves at Tofu with grim faces and emotionless eyes. It was the same tactic they had used on Ranma earlier. Shona dove for his legs while the armband girls wrapped themselves around each of his arms and hung on as tightly as they could.

Tofu's eyes widened in surprise and he tried to shake them off, but it was too late. The Amazon Elder darted in and landed a solid strike on Tofu and sent him sprawling. He crashed into a wall, and lay still. Without missing a beat, the old woman advanced on Ranma. He held himself in a combat stance and glared. He was breathing heavily and there was a trickle of blood coming from the corner of his mouth, but he still seemed like he was able to fight. Shona and the two elites however, seemed to be down for the count. All of them were laying scattered around the ground around where Tofu had been standing. Cologne had gone through them to get to Tofu without hesitation. Shampoo was staring wide eyed at her elder now, with her mouth open.

Nabiki could tell that Ranma was doing his best to project confidence, but she could tell from very tiny signs in his face and body language that he was hurt and not at all confident of winning. She wanted to do something to help him, but couldn't think of anything.

She looked down at Akane, hoping for insight, but Akane was still unconscious. She found herself taking hesitant steps towards Ranma after she laid Akane gently on the ground and stood up. She paused and bit her lower lip and tugged on the ends of her hair nervously. She wanted to jump in and help him. But she knew damn well she wouldn't survive getting in range of the Amazon Elder.

Shampoo was looking rapidly back and forth from Ranma to her great grandmother, and back again. Nabiki could tell Shampoo was waging a private war inside herself as her loyalties were tested liked they never had been before.

The Elder Amazon launched herself at Ranma and he braced and tensed his left hip. She knew him well enough by now that he was doing that to try to psyche the Old Ghoul out. He would tense left and then go right. About one out of every five times, he actually would go left, though. He was very good at keeping his opponents guessing. This time he did indeed go left.

It didn't help him. The Amazon elder simply pivoted in the air and altered her strike so it connected with him solidly in the air, instead of on the ground when she landed.

Ranma's head whipped back and he choked back a yell of pain as he missed the block and staggered backwards on heavy feet. He started to sink to his knees as he gasped for breath.

 _On no._ She thought as she gasped as well. She took one step then another towards him. Across the street she saw Shampoo mirroring her actions. She knew the old woman would kill her, but she didn't care. She couldn't let Ranma be killed, she— 

Before she could get any closer, her thoughts were interrupted as the old woman let out a battle cry and lunged at Ranma with her staff.

Nabiki moved without thinking. She yelled Ranma's name as she started to sprint to get to him. Her eyes darted to Tofu as she ran. She desperately hoped that he would be up and moving, but he was still laying still by the wall. She swung her gaze back to Ranma as she strained to get to him. She knew she'd never get there in time.

"Please don't!" She cried out in desperation.

Shampoo appeared in front of Ranma then and slammed the ground with a powerful strike that sent a hot shock wave out in every direction. Shampoo could also move with superhuman speed, when she wanted to.

Shampoo stood tall in front of Ranma and spread her arms open wide protectively in front of him, and stared down her great grandmother. "No!" Shampoo screamed in an agonized voice that held the final vowel of the word in a scream that was obviously breaking everything inside that the young Chinese warrior had ever held sacred. The young Amazon had tears streaming down her cheeks.

She thought for sure the Elder Amazon was going to simply go through Shampoo to get to Ranma, like she had with everyone else. But, at the last possible moment, the old woman pulled her attack and came to a stop less than a meter from Shampoo. It appeared there was a limit to her ruthlessness. Nabiki stopped as well. She knew her mouth was hanging open. Shampoo was actually defying the Elder Joketsuzoku!

 _She loves him that much?_ She thought sadly as she watched the young Chinese girl throw everything away to save him.

She felt a presence behind her and flinched back from it as she tried to raise her guard up. She turned her head and found Akane limping over to her, not an Amazon. She rushed back and looped her arm around Akane's waist and stabilized her.

Akane slumped up against her and breathed heavily as she asked a question. "Wha ... wha's goin' on?" Akane asked with slurred speech. It was quite apparent the hit to the head was still affecting her younger sister.

She looked back at the stand-off between Shampoo and her great grandmother, and sighed. "Shampoo is defending Ranma." Was all she said as she watched as the old woman frowned and switched to Mandarin and ordered Shampoo out of the way. "移一下。现在。"

"What'd she say?" Akane asked. Her little sister's voice was clearing up. She thought about protesting ignorance, then sighed and decided that if Akane couldn't keep her secret, then nobody could.

"She said, 'Move. Now.'" Nabiki translated.

Shampoo shook her head violently as tears streamed down her cheeks, and refused. "我拒绝！我爱他！"

" _I refuse. I love him_." Nabiki whispered the translation without being asked again. Akane looked over sharply at her with wide eyes, then slowly dragged her attention back towards Shampoo.

The old woman drew her eyebrows in and scowled as she warned Shampoo away. "这将是你最后的机会。"

" _This is your last chance._ " Nabiki translated.

Shampoo continued to shake her head as she continued to cry, but the young Amazon's eyes hardened as well. She didn't know for sure, but it seemed like Shampoo's eyes were narrowing with hatred. It seemed Ranma was that powerful of a force for the Amazon. It appeared that Shampoo would rather fight her own tribe, than let him be killed. Nabiki took an involuntary step backwards, as did Akane. Both of them could see how over the edge Shampoo was. There was a wild and desperate look in Shampoo's eyes now.

The old woman took a step towards Ranma, and Shampoo shouted her own warning. "停止！我不会允许这样的！"

" _Stop. I will not allow this._ " Nabiki whispered to Akane in a chilled voice as emotions affected her strongly. She was breathing rapidly and trying not to cry so her eyes would stay clear, but her body was fighting her.

Shampoo glared at the old woman and began to glow with a bright purple battle aura. Shampoo had obviously reached her limit, and chosen sides. Shampoo was going to fight _to the death_ for him, if the old woman didn't stop.

Shampoo's great grandmother paused and looked at Shampoo sadly. They held each other's gazes for several moments as each of them said with their eyes what their laws and pride would not allow them to say out loud.

"我不能。" The elder Amazon said sadly.

" _I can't._ " Nabiki whispered as a tear slid down her cheek as she watched the scene unfolding in front of her. She squeezed her sister tightly with worry, she didn't think Shampoo would be enough to stop the old woman.

The Elder Amazon drew herself up to her full height, raised her staff, and attacked. A heartbeat later Shampoo snapped two fighting sticks off her back and leaped to meet the attack. Both she and Akane jumped back quickly to get out of their way.

Her eyes immediately sought out Ranma, and she found him rising slowly to his feet as he got his breathing under control. Shampoo was buying him the time he needed to recover. She looked over at Tofu and was crestfallen to see him still laying unmoving by the wall. She didn't even bother to look for Miso.

 _I hope he's all right_. She thought sadly. She didn't dare try to get to him to check on him, though. He was laying across the way from her, and in between them the battle was raging. She just had to trust to Tofu's training and hope he would recover on his own.

In the meantime, Ranma had regained his feet. He took a deep breath and leaped into the fray with Shampoo against the old woman a moment later. The motions of the fight became too frantic for her eyes to follow then, so she just tried to follow the color of Ranma's shirt.

"Enough of this!" She heard Daddy yell. She turned back and saw Daddy striding quickly towards the battle with Kasumi in tow. He paused and put a hand on both her and Akane's shoulders, like he wanted to touch them for the last time, then he stepped in front of them, and jumped to join the battle.

All three of the Tendo sisters stood shoulder to shoulder and watched the fight. Nabiki was numb. She was beyond fear. Her _whole world_ was at risk at the moment. If things went badly, she knew she wouldn't ever recover from it. All she could do now was—

Kasumi screamed in fright and snapped her out of her reverie. She refocused back on the fight and gasped as she saw both Daddy and Shampoo fly out of the center of the fight in opposite directions. Both of them crashed into the walls lining the street, and slumped down to the ground unconscious. Shampoo's fighting sticks clattered to the ground, broken.

A moment later the fight paused enough for her to see that Ranma was the only one left standing ... and he was standing on the far side of the old woman ... who was now standing only a few paces in front of them.

She sucked in a nervous breath and stepped back anxiously as quietly as she could while holding Akane up. Ranma swore and blurred into motion as the old woman smiled grimly and turned to attack.

Kasumi screamed in fright as the old woman's staff arced down towards the eldest Tendo sister, Kasumi flinched back—

A cold and furious shock wave like a blast of arctic air slammed into all of them as blurred motion surged in front of Kasumi and knocked the Amazon back. It also knocked Ranma back.

Nabiki gasped in surprise and hope as she turned expecting to see Miso finally stepping in to settle the issue.

It wasn't Miso. It was To... _Doctor_ Tofu. He'd woken up and responded to Kasumi's screams. She stepped back a bit as she looked at him. He was clearly wounded, but he was also visibly furious. He was clenching his teeth and had both his hands balled into fists. She'd never seen him as he was now. She thought she had seen him angry before, but what she saw and felt from him now was orders of magnitude more serious than she had ever seen before.

"Get away from her! NOW!" Doctor Tofu yelled as he stood in front of Kasumi and trembled with fury.

The Elder Amazon leaned casually against her staff and sneered at him. "You cannot possibly hope to defeat me, pacifist. We both know there is only one side that will be walking away from this fight, and that the boy isn't going to be able to sway that outcome. I am sorry, but honor demands that I remove the boy's motivation to stay here, then take the boy. If I have to have him carried back, then so be it. As for the Tendos ... I'm afraid their fate is sealed. You have been an honorable opponent, pacifist. I do not fault you for trying to help them. Leave now, and go with my blessing."

Doctor Tofu smirked. "Whoever said I was a pacifist?"

"You have deliberately pulled strikes that would have killed. I have watched you fight. You are a pacifist. Do not try to trick me. You try my patience."

Doctor Tofu sighed and shook his head. "Being deeply loved by someone gives one strength, while loving someone deeply gives one courage. I have both. You don't know me at all." He said like he was lecturing a small child.

"You're quoting Laozi, my countryman. That doesn't make you clever, nor does it change my observations of your pacifistic nature."

"Fine, then how about this... I swore an oath as a doctor to do no harm. I try to live my life by that oath as well. But I am _not_ a pacifist. I know full well that those who stand for nothing, will fall for anything. I am also not acting as a doctor right now. And I am telling _you_ that _you_ may leave now, and return to China, and never return, and we can end this peacefully. If not, then I am fully prepared to die for any one of them. I died a long time ago. I have nothing left to lose." He said in a voice that rang with steel.

"So be it." The old woman spat out as her battle aura sprang back into life.

Doctor Tofu's aura flickered into view as well. It started out small, but quickly grew larger than anything she had ever seen him produce before. He turned around to Kasumi and surprised everyone by quickly grabbing her older sister around the waist and staring into her eyes. Then he pulled Kasumi into a quick hug that spoke very clearly about his feelings. He stepped back from her older sister before anyone had time to process what he had just done. "I still love you, Kasumi. I haven't forgotten my promises." He said in a sad voice.

She knew tears were streaming down her cheeks. She could see tears on Kasumi's face as well. He'd _finally_ said it. He'd finally dropped the act and admitted that he still loved Kasumi.

Her older sister sank slowly to her knees and nodded with her eyes fixed on him as he backed away to fight. Kasumi had dropped all of her masks. The naked fear and love she saw on Kasumi's face made her ache for Kasumi.

Doctor Tofu walked over to where Ranma was now kneeling on the ground and breathing heavily, trying to recover. He reached his hand down and grasped Ranma's forearm and pulled him somewhat roughly to his feet. "Ready, Ranma." It wasn't a question, it was an order from a fully grown man who was taking control of a situation out of control.

Ranma looked over at Doctor Tofu and nodded quickly and somewhat wearily. "Let's finish this ... quickly." He said with exhaustion in his voice.

Doctor Tofu smiled, which looked weird with his battle aura flickering around him. "I'll do what I can. You go left, and I'll go right, okay?"

Ranma nodded then looked straight into her eyes. It was a look that took her breath away. In his eyes she saw the promise of a life together with him. He was fighting for her, to save her, and her family. She did her best to look confident for him, and to encourage him. A blink of an eye later he nodded then blurred into motion, and she could see him only as a red streak that was darting around the old woman.

Doctor Tofu was the darker streak blurring around on the other side of the Amazon Elder. The battle quickly grew faster than she could possibly follow.

She and her sisters took one step back, then another, then more. They quickly retreated from the battle as blows rang out in the street that sounded like giants were stomping on houses, and felt like someone was hitting a drum the size of a mountain.

Dust and debris started to swirl around the combatants like a cloud as the hits continued to rain out. The walls around the street started to vibrate with the shock waves, and small pieces of concrete and little stones were starting to rise up into the air on their own and move towards the combat, sucked into the incredible power focus in the street. She glanced over at Akane nervously, as did Kasumi. They were all thinking the same thing. If the old woman unleashed another powerful attack like she'd done earlier, Akane was in no shape to shield just one of them, let alone both of them.

A lone figure stepped into her peripheral vision off to her right and she tilted her head against the wind of the debris cloud to look at who it was, hoping it was Shampoo or Daddy recovered enough to help.

It was Miso.

Doctor Tofu's master was standing with her arms folded, and untouched by the battle in the street. The woman's eyes were glowing a soft white. Her friends were standing meekly behind the woman, paralyzed with fear. Nothing was touching her friends though. There was a shimmering energy surrounding Miso and her friends.

Miso swiveled her heavy gaze over to Nabiki and her sisters. The older woman looked ... sad ... but Miso didn't move to do anything, she just watched.

She shook herself and refocused on the battle in the street. Ranma and Doctor Tofu were now surging to the edges of the battle and making the old woman chase them back and forth. As they did so, they would pause moving just long enough that they stopped blurring.

Ranma was breathing heavily and had his teeth clenched so tightly that she was sure he would shatter them if he bit down any harder. Doctor Tofu looked more or less neutral, but his eyes were lacking any of the kindness he normally had in them.

Each time the Amazon Elder would reach one of them, they would engage in rapid-fire hand-to-hand combat. Each strike and block rang out loudly in the street, and could be felt even where she was standing. Nobody was holding back, they were all going as hard as they could.

Ranma unblurred next. He started to exchange blows with the Amazon, but after only a couple of hits he stumbled and started to wobble on his feet. She gasped in fright and squeezed Akane tightly. Ranma swore and pitched forward off balance. She screamed as her hands flew to her mouth while the small shape of the Amazon Elder blurred towards him and raised her staff. Would the old woman kill him?

Then Ranma did something she had never see him do before. He ... _slid_ ... or something, so that instead of falling he circled back around and came back to his feet. It had looked like a tree that had been cut down and had been falling to the ground, but then the tree had stuck to its roots and swung to the side and back upright again.

 _That must have been the secret technique he said he knew_. She thought to herself as she breathed in panicked quick breaths while her heart hammered in her chest.

The Amazon's strike landed where she estimated his head would have been as Ranma stepped in sharply and stomped on the staff and broke it. He then darted in and threw multiple strikes to the Amazon's head and body, trying to pierce her guard.

The Amazon responded with a fury that rocked her back on _her_ heels, and she wasn't even the one fighting. The old woman was totally focused on him and overpowering him. Ranma was l—

Doctor Tofu's blurred into position behind the Amazon and his hands flashed out sharply and strongly and struck the Amazon quickly and forcefully in multiple places across her back and neck. The Amazon tried to turn and defend herself, but as soon as she did Ranma lunged forward and grabbed the Amazon's arms and locked himself around her as strongly as he could. The Amazon screamed in rage and tried to shake him off just as Doctor Tofu slammed the final places on the Amazon's back. The dust and debris in the air swirled around the combatants menacingly as the old woman's fighting spirit abruptly died out.

The dust cleared enough for Nabiki to see a moment later. She found herself sitting on the street shaking and breathing heavily. She didn't remember how she'd ended up like that. Akane was kneeling in the street and slowly slumping down to the ground in exhaustion. Without being held up, it was clear Akane had reached her limit.

Ranma was standing over the Amazon Elder, panting with exhaustion. He stood there and looked at her with those piercing blue eyes and smiled. Dust swirled around his feet and danced around him carried on the wind. His clothing ruffled in the breeze, but his eyes stayed on her. He was more tired than she had ever seen him before.

Doctor Tofu was breathing heavily too but he recovered first and looked directly at Kasumi. Her older sister returned his gaze and nodded again fiercely. Kasumi let out a cry that was a mix between a whoop of joy, and a sob. He smiled at Kasumi and began to walk over to her.

Daddy was getting up on his feet again too, and he was pulling Ranma's dad up as well. She looked over to where Shampoo had fallen, and saw the young Chinese girl was being pulled to her feet shakily by Shona and the two armband girls.

The remaining dust and debris in the air whipped around Shampoo on the breeze as she looked at Ranma sadly from Shona's arms. The breeze pulled Shampoo's hair forward so it masked her face for a moment, and only her eyes showed. Those eyes were the saddest eyes Nabiki had ever seen. Shampoo didn't look even once at her great grandmother who lay unmoving on the ground, she only looked at Ranma.

Shampoo moved, as if in a daze, and stepped away from Shona and the two armband girls. They gathered behind Shampoo meekly and looked down at their Elder on the ground, defeated. They had blank eyes. Many of the rank and file Amazons were gathering behind Shampoo as well now. None of them looked interested in fighting anymore.

Doctor Tofu walked over to Kasumi and talked to her quietly. Nabiki looked over at Akane. Akane had been so brave, and so strong. Nabiki knew she owed Akane a debt she wouldn't be able to repay easily. Akane was already recovering a bit of her strength. Her little sister's head was up now, and watching Ranma.

"Is she dead?" Nabiki called out to Doctor Tofu.

He looked over at her with Kasumi in his arms, and shook his head. "No, just body-locked. I can keep her that way for the rest of her life. Don't worry, its over." He said kindly as he turned back to focusing on Kasumi.

She shuddered with relief as she unclenched from the terrible knot of anxious worry that had been clawing at her insides all day. She turned her attention back to Ranma and saw that Shampoo was slowly walking up to him with tears dripping from her chin while her whole body trembled.

Shampoo looked over at her and nodded her head slightly to her. Nabiki nodded back, not knowing what the Amazon meant. Then Shampoo walked a few more steps closer to Ranma. He narrowed his eyes at the Amazon, so Shampoo slowed down and held her hands up, showing she had no weapons. None of the rest of the Amazons were moving. They were all standing in exactly the same posture Shampoo had been using for the last few days with their feet together, their hands clasped in front of them, and their heads down. 

Ranma nodded and Shampoo walked the last few steps to stand right in front of him. Shampoo gazed up at Ranma and shook with emotions even Nabiki could see from the distance she was at. Ranma watched Shampoo, but otherwise stood impassively. Shampoo smiled bitterly to herself then reached up and cupped his face gently with her hands and pulled herself up on her tiptoes to gently kiss him on the lips. Ranma stiffened in surprise, but didn't lean in or hold her. Before Nabiki even had time to get upset, Shampoo pulled back and stepped away from him.

Shampoo folded her hands in front of herself and bowed formally to him, and then again to Nabiki. Nabiki was still sitting on the ground next to Akane, so she couldn't return the bow as Ranma did — although he didn't bow nearly as deeply to Shampoo as Shampoo had to him.

Shampoo turned back to Ranma and made an announcement in a loud but sad voice that everyone on the street could hear. "I am the First Elder now. My Great Grandmother has been defeated, and has brought shame on our tribe."

Ranma nodded, obviously not sure what to do with that information.

Shampoo smiled patiently at him. "This is over. My sisters and I will return to China today. They will not return so long as I live." Shampoo declared sternly. "Please forgive them." Shampoo added in a earnest voice. "They fought because they love their family, same as you. There was no hatred, just duty." Shampoo pleaded with him.

Ranma nodded slowly. "If this is done, then yeah, all right. No hard feelin's ... I guess." He said in a confused voice.

"Good. I'm glad. Maybe ... maybe some day, you can visit us in China. You will see, my tribe will be different then." Shampoo said with no real hope in her voice.

Ranma just looked at Shampoo; he made no promise one way or another. Shampoo sighed and turned to leave, but stopped when Daddy called out to her. "Young lady, stop." Daddy said in a neutral tone from the side of the street.

Shampoo paused and looked at him. He softened his face into something approaching a smile. "You demonstrated a real sense of honor and loyalty during all of this. You proved without a shadow of a doubt that you bear no ill will to my family. You may stay with us if you like, and teach in my dojo. You've earned it." Daddy said solemnly.

Shampoo's sisters looked at her with worry in their eyes as Shampoo smiled. "That is ... a very generous offer ... but I can't accept. My duty is to my family first, no different from you." Shampoo said with a soft shake of her head.

Shona visibly relaxed when Shampoo refused, which caused Nabiki to smile. She had a feeling the relationship between Shampoo and Shona was similar to her own relationship with Akane.

"So this is goodbye?" Ranma asked softly. He sounded somewhat hopeful. Shampoo smiled and nodded. "I have a question before ya go." Ranma said as he held up a finger for Shampoo to wait. Shampoo turned and raised an eyebrow at him. "How come your Japanese is so good all of a sudden?" He asked.

Shampoo smiled softly at that. "It is sometimes ... useful ... for people to think someone isn't as smart as they actually are. You might know ... _someone else_ ... who does that." Shampoo said softly while looking right at her and winking.

Nabiki winked back. Shampoo then said to Ranma in Mandarin, "我会永远爱你。" The new leader of the Amazon tribe spun on her heel and turned to leave, having declared her undying love for him. Shampoo paused once and said over her shoulder, "别聊。" Then Shampoo turned again, and walked down the street, rounded the corner, and was gone. Shampoo had said the same final farewell to him that she'd said the first time she'd given up and gone home to China. Shampoo left her great grandmother laying where she'd fallen.

Nabiki turned to comment to Akane, but Akane wasn't there. She looked towards Ranma and saw Akane walking slowly over to him, as if she was in a trance. He turned to face Akane and smiled widely.

Akane reached him and fell into his arms and sobbed. He held her little sister and stroked her hair for several moments before he picked Akane up off the ground and spun her around.

Time slowed to a frozen crawl for Nabiki.

"It's over, it's all right." She heard him say softly several times to Akane. Akane wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled her mouth up to his neck. She couldn't tell if Akane was kissing him or trying to whisper to him. She was having trouble focusing as a cold feeling settled on her. Ranma held her little sister up in his arms and whispered to Akane. It was clear who he had chosen, just as she had feared he would.

 _So ... this is what it feels like to die_. She thought as the door slammed shut on her future with him. She scooted backwards so her back was up against the wall behind her. She pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them tightly as she averted her eyes. She couldn't bear to watch.

Her heart was breaking, and it was _so much worse_ this time. The first time it had broken for him, she hadn't been invested in the relationship, and she hadn't opened up her heart again. Now she had, and ... _oh God, it hurts so bad!_ She wailed silently as she stared down at her knees as all color, sound and hope left her.

She wanted to cry, but the best she seemed to be able to do was shudder like she was dry heaving. She seemed to be suddenly lacking the ability to feel things properly. Her whole body was shaking as she gasped for breath and tried to control the feeling of spiraling descent she seemed to be falling down into. The dragon inside her had laid down and gone still.

She smiled bitterly to herself as she thought about what she'd said to him just a little while ago when she'd confessed her love to him as she worked to pull him back from Shona.

 _That's the big problem with loving someone. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, but it **does** matter what they think. If they don't return your feelings, then no deal. It doesn't matter how hard you try, how much you love them, or how much you want it. And **of course** he didn't pick me. What could I offer him that Akane couldn't? I'm a fool for even getting my hopes up, I'm worthless!_ She berated herself.

She pulled in a couple of shuddering deep breaths then tried to encourage herself. _I ... I can survive this ... somehow ... I can ... I just have to_ —

A pair of legs came into her view and stood in front of her, interrupting her thoughts of despair.

They were Ranma's legs.

She looked up in misery at him. The only thing worse than him choosing Akane was going to be him trying to let her down easy. She opened her mouth to tell him not to bother, as she tried to summon anger to say something hateful to him, but no sound would come out of her mouth.

He crouched down and looked at her worriedly. She stared into his eyes and tried to hate him, but she couldn't. He'd protected and fought for her, he'd been sweet and wonderful, and he'd been there for her when she'd needed him the most. She didn't hate him, she _loved him_. She stared at him and allowed herself to feel betrayed. She knew he hadn't promised to pick her, but she didn't care.

"So ... um ... about that ... " he said hesitantly.

She looked at him fiercely and plastered her disappointment on to her face as she glared at him. _He's not really going to try to do this, is he, he's not going to try to pretend everything is fine, is he?_ She thought bitterly as her breathing rate increased while her sense of loss mounted inside and mixed with the mind-numbing pain. She was rapidly getting close to hyperventilating.

She could tell he could see and feel how she felt, and it paused him for a moment as he looked at her with wide eyes. He continued as best he could. He never had been very good at being honest and open about matters of the heart. She listened and waited for the hammer blow that would shatter her.

"A-Akane said she wanted to hold me at least one more time ... before ... before she let me go ... " He said quietly. "I'm sorry, but I felt I owed her at least that much." He added in a small, nervous voice.

As his words broke through the gathering fog in her mind, it felt like a hand had reached out and stopped her just as she had been sliding over a waterfall. His words dragged her back through the icy current and pulled her back into reality.

 _Was he saying..._ She looked up at him with bewilderment through watery eyes as the dragon inside her lifted its head with tentative hope as well. "What are you saying? Are you saying..." She had to ask. She couldn't finish the question, she just looked up at him with the last shred of hope left alive in her.

He smiled and nodded. "You, Kiki. You." He whispered with a shy smile curving the edges of his mouth up.

Shivers of joy hit her everywhere as she began to tremble as emotions raced through her. She found herself crying again, and for an entirely different reason. She was starting to feel ... bright, and warm inside. "Really?" She asked in a small voice as she hugged her knees tightly. _He can't be serious_. She thought. _This must be some sort of a joke_. But ... he wasn't cruel. _He wouldn't joke about something like this, would he?_ She allowed the hope to worm its way into her heart and waited as she bit her lip and looked at him.

"Yes, really. I think you're right for me, and I think I'm right for you ... I mean ... if you want..." He said softly as he reached down a hand for her to hold. She unclenched her arms from around her legs and grabbed his hand with both of hers and nodded earnestly.

" **Yes, oh yes!** " She said in a shaky voice and smiled as she wiped the tears away with her shoulder. He pulled her up on to her unsteady feet and she swayed a bit. He had to reach out and steady her by holding her around the waist. She looked into his eyes and smiled as he smiled back. "You ... love me?" She couldn't stop herself from asking. She needed to hear him say the words now.

He nodded slowly at her and said, "Yup, I'm pretty sure I do." He said with a small smile. She threw her head back and made a noise that was a mixture between a squeal and a laugh. She felt something inside herself trigger, and felt a rush of warmth and brightness flood her body. It felt like it was leaking out of her pores.

"Nabiki..." He whispered to her.

"Mmm?" She responded with her eyes closed as she leaned into him happily.

"You're glowin'..." He whispered.

"Am I?"

"Yeah..."

"I must be really happy then." She whispered back with a smile curving the edges of her lips as she leaned more firmly into him and kept her eyes closed.

After several happy moments had passed while she allowed herself to start to unwind from the terrible fear and anxiousness she had been living in for the last seven days, she opened her eyes and looked around happily at a brand new world.

Her gaze came to rest on Dadd—...Dad's. He nodded silently to her and smiled in approval. Ranma's Dad was standing next to ... Dad. Genma had his hand behind his head as he laughed with joy while he watched them. Kasumi was standing wrapped in Doctor Tofu's arms and crying happily as he rocked her back and forth and they whispered to each other.

Nabiki locked eyes with Kasumi for a moment, and they shared a knowing smile. Akane was standing next to Dad and watching her with a sad but happy look on her face. She knew her little sister wouldn't have given Ranma up unless Akane had been sure. She had a lot of debts she needed to start paying back to Akane ... starting tomorrow.

She buried her face into Ranma's neck and smiled as she whispered to him. "Private time. Now. I've shared you for more than long enough." She said as she started walking him backwards towards the house while trailing her blazing golden aura. She passed her friends who were standing around near the gate to their home and chatting happily to themselves. Miso was nowhere to be seen.

Riko smiled widely at her and shushed the girls and hustled them out of the way. They obeyed Riko reluctantly. She could tell they wanted to talk to her, but now was not the time. She was grateful Riko understood that.

She looked into Ranma's eyes as he walked backwards towards the house with his arms still around her, and his warmth surrounded and infused her. She shuddered a little bit as the weight of what was happening started to settle on her. She realized then as joy filled her and a different, older weight lifted off her, that the depression she had been suffering since Mom had died had changed to just sadness. Her feelings about Mom's death were now just memories and sadness mixed with love and peace.

The peace that Miso embodied was the peace she now felt. That had been why Miso had resonated so strongly with her. Mom had embodied that peace as well. Feeling that peace, after being without it for so long, had been part of her reawakening.

All of this time, she had been so critical of how Kasumi and Akane had been dealing with mom's death, and she hadn't bothered to look at how she had been dealing with it. She realized that she had dealt with it by refusing to deal with it. She'd been convinced that if she'd been strong and acted care free while she shut herself off from the world, that she could keep going.

However, she hadn't been aware of the consequences of that until Ranma had caught her that night. The consequence of shutting herself off like that had been that she had shut herself off not only from pain, but also from love and joy.

Ranma had forced her to open the door back up, because she had wanted to love again. As she pushed him towards the house, she allowed herself to open the door up a little more, and gasped as it all hit her. The pain of losing her mother mixed with the joy she was feeling now with Ranma. She knew she was experiencing the most important moment in her life since Mom had died. Ranma looked at her worriedly. She was sure some of what she was feeling was showing on her face. She smiled at him to reassure him. They had their whole lives to talk about it. Now was not the time for that, now was the time for them.

He had saved her in more than one way. She had a bond with him that was beyond special. He was real. He was an anchor for her. She didn't have to put on an act with him. She didn't have to be anyone but herself with him. And he loved her as herself. She'd had no idea how much she'd needed that until he'd given it to her.

He was also the kindest and most loyal guy she'd ever known. She knew he was interested in her because he thought she was beautiful. But he had also shown that he appreciated her intellect and the fact that she didn't take him for granted. They weren't a perfect match. But ... who was?

She walked him backwards into the house urgently, and stared into his eyes with a huge grin on her face. She knew she had tears threatening to spill from her eyes again. She could feel them catching in her lashes. He smiled back at her nervously but with eyes that spoke volumes more than he could still say right now. She could hear Mom's words ghosting clearly in her head. It was like Mom was talking to her.

_You'll just know._

She knew Ranma could and would say more in private. She didn't need him to say anything publicly. He had done more than enough for her. She held him tightly around the neck as she pushed him backwards and walked him up the stairs. She ran her fingers through his hair and would have purred with desire for him if she hadn't known he was afraid of cats.

_You will trust him._

They reached the top of the stairs and she increased her pace. She pushed him urgently with her hips to move faster. As they reached the door to her room he displayed his remarkable martial prowess and quickly reached backwards and opened the door as they banged into it.

_He will be kind._

As soon as they were through the doorway she kicked the door shut behind herself, and then reached back and locked the door. She then smiled at him hungrily as she launched herself into his arms. He caught her easily and held her so her eyes were level with his.

_He will be your partner._

"So, can I kiss you now? Have I earned it?" He asked somewhat defiantly.

She smiled radiantly at him and threw herself back and laughed with pure joy. He held on to her and she just hung backwards from him for a moment and shivered with glee before she did a hard sit-up and answered him by diving at him, grabbing his head and burying her fingers into his hair as she kissed him as hard as she could while the dragon inside her screamed in triumph.

 _He loves me, he really does! He chose me over Akane_! She still couldn't believe it. Never, never, _never_ in her _wildest dreams_ had she _dared_ to hope for what was happening now. Tears started to stream down her cheeks as she sobbed with happiness while she kissed him. He was kissing her back, hungrily. He wasn't kissing her like he'd kissed Ukyo, or Shampoo. He was kissing her strongly, with obvious desire. His strong arms squeezed her tightly as he kissed her with a yearning she could tell he was barely controlling. He was warm too. She felt herself melting into him. She could have happily stayed in his arms for the rest of the day and just enjoyed his kisses.

_He will be your equal._

She kissed him back just as hungrily and with a fierce _need_. She had a week's worth of emotion to work through with him, and it had been a traumatic week. She twisted eagerly around in his arms like she was trying to wrap around him and push through him at the same time as she kissed him with feelings that were too hard to put into words, and too numerous to count. He had to take a step back to brace himself to keep from falling over as she pressed into him and wrapped her legs around his while he continued to hold her off the ground. When she finally surfaced for air, they were both breathing heavily.

"Why're you cryin'?" He asked with confusion in his voice.

"Because I'm happy." She said with a delighted smile as she rested both her hands on his chest and leaned into him as the tears kept coming.

"That doesn't make any sense." He said, confused.

"Are you saying you don't want to kiss me any more?" She teased.

"Hey, no, I had to work hard to earn that." He protested. "I just ... don't understand why you cry when you're happy." He said wistfully.

She shrugged in his arms and said with a happy lilt in her voice. "What can I tell you, I'm complicated."

_He will be the person that you want to be there when you are sad and when you are happy._

"I guess you are." He said with a smile.

"But you knew that before you chose me," she whispered. "And ... you chose me anyway." She bit her lower lip and looked at him as he nodded his head eagerly.

"Complicated or not, we fit together real good." He whispered back. "Besides, I've never had anyone challenge me before to earn a kiss." He added with a touch of pride in his voice.

"Oh, you earned more than that." She said giddily as she slid out of his arms. He looked at her in confusion and she smiled softly at him. She started to lift her shirt as she smiled radiantly at him. He blushed bright red as he realized what she was doing.

He startled her and lunged forward and grabbed her wrist and stopped her.

"What are you ... don't you want..." She stammered, embarrassed. She had hoped, if he'd chosen her ... that they could finally—

"It's not that I don't want to ... it's just ..." He interrupted her thoughts, then trailed off shyly.

"Just what?" She asked softly. She was willing to be as patient with him as she needed to be. She didn't need to be physical with him right away. She could wait until he was ready.

She looked at him and raised an eyebrow at him as he fished around in his pocket for something. He smiled in triumph a moment later as he pulled something out and held it out to her in a closed fist.

He slowly opened his hand, and her heart stopped. In his hand was a another small white box with the word _Tasaki_ emblazoned across the top in silver lettering with sea-green tint to the trim. As her heart started beating again she held out a shaking hand and let him drop the box into it. 

The box was a bit dinged up, and the edges were a bit crumpled, but it was unmistakably the twin of the box he had given her earlier. She turned the box over and sucked in a startled gasp through clenched teeth. On the bottom was written 榊二 in silver pen. S _acred two._ There were multiple ways to interpret that. She looked over at him with wonder in her eyes. How had he managed to keep that secret for so long?

"I have an answer for you now, Nabiki, about what I want. What you asked me for." He said shyly.

She knew she had to have a silly grin on her face. "Well, what is it?" She asked. She knew, but she was still eagerly awaiting hearing him say it.

He looked down for a moment at his feet. When he looked back up, he looked into her eyes. "You, I want you. W-Will you m-marry me?" He asked sincerely.

"Ask me properly." She whispered as she handed him the box.

He nodded and knelt on the floor while he opened the box and smiled at her. "Will you marry me?" He asked as he held up a beautiful diamond ring. It was a simple yet elegant design. It suited her perfectly. The dragon inside her shrieked with joy and danced around happily.

_You'll just know._

She grinned ear to ear as she put on a fake challenging face. "Will you cherish me?" She whispered.

_He will never say hateful things to you or be violent._

"Yes!" He said eagerly.

"And you love me?" She asked him in a mock stern tone.

_He will be your friend._

"Yes, I do!"

"Will you honor me?" She asked as she sucked in air through teeth clenched with joy as emotions crashed into her that she couldn't describe with words. The emotions were making her arch her back involuntarily and flex her toes as she tried to keep from dissolving into a laughing, giggling, crying puddle of euphoria.

_He will be your confidant._

"I can't think of anyone I would rather honor, than you." He whispered.

"Will you ... will you challenge me? Will you play with me?" She breathed the question quietly as she shivered with elation.

_He will be the love of your life._

"I'll never stop, I promise."

_I know!_

"Then ... yes, Ranma, I'll marry you. But ... you'll have to earn it." She gasped loudly as her eyes opened wide as her heart opened all the way up and she let him all the way in. She was so happy, she wanted to scream. She was dancing on her toes and squirming with a giddy euphoria. She was full of too much of what she didn't have words for, to be still.

He stood up and reached for her left hand. She held it out to him as steadily as she could. It was still shaking wildly. He grasped it softly in his warm hands and slid the ring on her finger slowly. It was a perfect fit.

She lunged for him and tackled him to the ground and kissed him as strongly as she knew how. He wrapped his arms and legs around her and kissed her back, just as strongly. When they both came up for air later they stared at each other. He didn't seem as shy with her as he'd been in the past. He was still being a gentleman, but his hands had been roaming her body just a little bit as they'd kissed again.

She smiled and decided to see if he was ready for more. She stood up on shaky legs and started to lift her shirt up again as he sat on the ground and watched her curiously. His eyes widened as she started to lift her shirt again.

She paused and looked down at him, hoping he would consent. He looked at her with a mixture of fear and longing and she thought for a moment that he would say no, then he smiled and nodded as he stood up. She beamed at him and tore her shirt off, leaving her in only her bra. She walked over to him and began undoing his shirt as well. The well worn Chinese silk catches opened easily and his shirt fell off like water streaming down a window. He wasn't wearing an undershirt.

He was very muscular. He was also scarred. She knew that many of the newer scars were because of her. She leaned in and kissed the hand he'd hurt saving her from falling off the building. He smiled and cupped her hands in his and kissed her hands in return. Shivers ran up and down her spine and she gasped as emotions hit her hard.

She leaned into him and kissed him on the lips again as she traced the muscles in his back softly with her hands. She broke the kiss and leaned back in his arms again happily as she breathed him in hungrily. She loved how he smelled. She pressed herself back into him and felt him bury his face in her hair and breathe her in. He pulled her towards him even more tightly and kissed her passionately and with a longing that had probably been building all week. She grinned into the kiss.

She had never been more excited or happy in her life. Ranma had chosen her over everyone else, and he loved her, and she loved him. _He loves me!_ She thought happily. She wrapped herself around him and gloried in the feeling of the intense warmth of his body on her bare skin. She felt electricity shooting down her spine as the world turned a little less dark and cruel, and a little more bright and wonderful.

He scooped her up and carried her towards the bed. "It's a deal." He softly whispered his reply to her earlier challenge.

He smiled at her as he lay her down on the bed and leaned down to join her as she reached her arms up and dug her fingers gently into his hair and pulled him down to her eagerly.

 _I did it, Mom, I found him, and I love him and he loves me!_ She thought brightly. She knew Mom knew.

She was whole again.

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[ **FINAL AUTHOR'S NOTES**

Thank you all for reading and reviewing, you have helped my writing a lot! This story is now complete. This entire fanfiction story was one giant experiment for me to work on my writing skills to hone them for my novel. I think I have succeeded at that at least on some level ;) 

Dropping me a note about your thoughts on the story will always be appreciated, regardless of when or how you do it ;)

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**ABOUT MY NOVEL:**

The novel I am working on publishing is a story that has the same shape as the story you just read. The main character is a young woman, like Nabiki. She is smart, like Nabiki, and she uses her smarts to help and hurt people, like Nabiki. She is also surrounded by a cast of characters similar to what you just read. As a matter of fact, Riko in HMDR was based on a character in my story who I wanted to trial run in front of a live audience.

I crafted this fanfiction story as a partial mirror of my novel. When you read the novel, it _should_ feel familiar to you if you have read HMDR. I wanted to try out various things I was working on in the novel, so I wrote the fanfiction story as a semi-replica of the type of story told in my novel.

There _are_ differences though. My novel is a science fiction story. It is set in space, on a space ship, and everything that goes along with that is present too. The tone of the novel is essentially identical to HMDR though. Although I think HMDR ended up being a bit heavier in the end (kind of hard to stay light and fluffy when dealing with mother-death =_=). The novel will flirt with heavy stuff as well, but it will probably feel a little lighter.

So, what is the novel about?

Here is the 15-second summary:

"A young woman finds herself being forced to fight to save her ship and her shipmates using her knowledge of computers and science. Luckily, she has friends to help her. Some of those friends are more useful than others, and some of them think they are funnier than they actually are. During the course of the story she will be called upon to fight like she has never fought before in her life, and she will be placed in situations she doesn't know how to deal with while others look to her to lead them."

**MY NAME:**

I will either publish as "R.D. McAdams" or just simply "Robert McAdams" I haven't decided which yet. Just remembering "McAdams" should take care of it regardless ;)

**MY FANFICTION:**

If you like my fanfiction, I suggest you visit my site (the address is in my profile, it is just my ff net screen name ended by the most common site address domain) and download a copy of it, just to be safe. If my novel is published by a traditional publisher, there is a _VERY REAL_ possibility they will require me to delete my fanfiction, most likely with little or no notice.

**NEWSLETTER:**

There is a newsletter you can join on my site (it is linked to from my profile). When I publish my novel (via whatever method I decide to go with), I will send a notice out to the newsletter first. If my fanfiction hasn't been deleted by the time I publish, I will also post a notice to FF net in the form of a "new chapter" which will notify people following me or my stories that the novel has been published.

That's all. Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed the story. I enjoyed writing it for you ;)

]


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